To Blot out the Sun
by Victoria-Fortis-Elegit
Summary: A life had been built for them, yet they were little more than strangers living in their roles, two incomplete souls living in a fog. A sunrise and a prophecy can change everything, but even the light of the brightest sun can be smothered by shadows.
1. Chapter 1

As he lay with her in the still darkness of the early morning hours, watching the rise and fall of her naked chest and the pink flush that clung to her skin after their earlier activities, he felt satisfied. She had always been an excellent lover, as perfect in bed as he could ever ask for, and tonight had been no exception. He tugged her closer to his body and felt the way their skins stuck together. He could almost taste the saltiness of the dried sweat lingered on her. The scent of their sex had him in a pleasant haze he didn't care to let go of as he buried his nose in her neck, wishing to burn it into his mind. As he fell deeper and deeper into a heavy, dreamless sleep, he thought that this was exactly what he was meant for.

After what seemed to be only a few moments, he was roused from his slumber by the sound of hurried footsteps approaching his tent. The haggard breathing and the sound of shuffling feet told Inuyasha that it was his servant, Myoga, coming to wake him. He heard the old demon in human form to come a halt before the tent's opening and pause uncertainly. The sleepy hanyou growled softly before disentangling himself from the warm woman beside him, wrapping a sheet around his naked hips, and throwing open the tent flap to reveal the first streaks of early morning light and a very wide eyed servant. "What?" he barked irritably.

"I…sir, well… my lord, I'm sorry to disturb you so early. I know how you dislike it." The old man sputtered. He looked around nervously, waiting for Inuyasha to snap something back.

"S'already awake. What is it that you want anyhow?"

The old man began to fidget even more anxiously. He looked around again, hoping to find the words he was looking for in the nearby treetops or in the pale orange streaks staining the sky. His scattered movements and generally frantic demeanor were fast wearing on Inuyasha's fragile morning nerves, adding to the hanyou's usual morning gruffness and putting the old man in an even more uncomfortable place. "Well?" the hanyou demanded crossly.

Myoga spoke hesitantly, "Your wife was taken into the birthing tent early this morning."

The old flea demon saw his master's eyes widen for a brief instant before narrowing dangerously as he took a few steps forward and grabbed him by the collar with the hand that wasn't fisted in the sheet at his waist. "And _why _the _fuck_ am I only being informed now?" He hissed angrily.

"She…she urged us not to. " Myoga sputtered quickly. He grasped the hand that held him fearfully, his eyes wide and nervous, before continuing. "Your wife did not want to disturb you at that time of night. She knew you'd be…resting. " His mind raced as he searched for a prudent word to call what everyone knew his master was up to before quickly resuming his impromptu announcement. "Births are a long process you know, my lord. She didn't want you to be bothered so early in the delivery."

Inuyasha released the old flea impatiently, stepping back to allow him some space, before speaking. "I damn well know that births are a long process," he muttered as he turned away, fully intending to return to his warm bed before a sudden thought struck him, "Wait, what exactly is going on? Something must be going on for you to come get me now, right?" He turned around to face the old demon again and immediately knew he'd reached the point of the matter at hand when he saw Myoga practically in a panic at his question.

"Well, my lord," the old flea began uncertainly, "It seems that something has gone wrong."

Inuyasha paused and digested Myoga's words for a few moments before speaking again. "What's happening? What's gone wrong?" He asked hesitantly, concern replacing the earlier irritation present in his voice. "Is it the child? Or…her?" He continued, his speech even more tentative than before.

"Perhaps both, my lord," Myoga answered plaintively. "Kaede said that there was blood in the birth water and that things were not moving along as they should." He paused to look up from the ground and observe his master's reaction to the news. "She fears things are getting out of hand."

Inuyasha stared at his old servant blankly, not fully grasping his message. When he didn't speak, Myoga continued his message. "Kaede has given her some herbs to make her pains stronger and the process speed up, but your wife has asked to see you before they continue." He stopped again and looked at Inuyasha imploringly with wide, glassy eyes. "Make haste, my lord, please. There isn't time to waste." He whispered pathetically in a cracking, watery voice that snapped Inuyasha back into action.

It was as though a murky film was lifted from his eyes as he regarded the early morning through a brand new, hypersensitive body. Suddenly, every sound echoed a thousand times in his ears. His eyes picked up every color in his environment as his brain struggled to make sense of a world that seemed to be moving too fast for him to keep up. He turned swiftly and rushed back into the tent, throwing the sheet aside and tearing into his clothes as quickly as he could muster before flying back out into the morning sun and setting a violent pace back to where he knew the birthing tent would be.

An uncomfortable, almost suffocating pressure settled in his chest as he approached the site and began to smell the odors coming from it. Abhorrent amounts of blood, sweat, salt, and unadulterated _agony_ invaded his sensitive nose as he came closer. He forced his feet to move faster until he finally stood outside the folds of an expansive, violet tent near the outskirts of camp.

As he moved to step past the flap, he was stopped by the old figure of Kaede exiting wearily. The old crone's back was even more bent than usual, her visible eye tired and resigned. She moved slowly, almost listlessly past him without even meeting his gaze. Inuyasha waited for her to acknowledge him, to recognize his presence, and when she didn't his anger was reignited with biting intensity. "Hey baba! What the hell is going on?" He snapped unceremoniously at her back.

"Nothing you would understand, Inuyasha. These are women's mysteries. Be satisfied with hearing of the outcome when it happens. Now, come with me, there are things to be gathered."

He wanted to scowl and argue with her, but refrained and instead trailed after her silently. As much as the old bat irritated him to hell and back, he still held some sort of strange respect for her. He had no mother or grandmother of his own, no matronly figure in his life other than old Kaede. She was as wise as she was old; her words as helpful as they were confusing. The woman liked to talk in riddles, but no matter how frustrating she was, the crone was a fixture in his life and he respected her for it.

She led him out to the field on the east side of the camp that held her herb garden and instructed him to gather the little yellow blossoms that grew in a neat little row among some long grasses. They worked in silence for a while, feeling the ever-present tension weighing down on them like lead, until he could hold back no longer. "Kaede?"

She didn't look up from her picking to look at him, but she acknowledged him nonetheless. "Yes Inuyasha?" She responded calmly.

He paused in his flower gathering and searched for the right words to ask her what he wanted to know. She was right; these were women's mysteries, things he couldn't understand. Did he even want to understand something as bloody and smelly as a birth? He was tongue tied for the first time in a long time, but managed to force out a barely coherent scrap of a question about how she was doing so far.

Kaede turned to look at him for the first time that morning. Her beady black eye scrutinized him critically and her wrinkled brow furrowed unnervingly. Her frown was as pronounced as the creases that lined her weathered face and her silence was as loud as a thousand war drums. She opened her mouth and answered his question with another question. "Inuyasha, do you love your wife?"

Her bluntness caught him off guard. His eyes widened in surprise and he stood there stupidly for a few seconds before answering her. "What does that have to do with anything?" He bit back sharply.

Her one eye narrowed even farther. She looked at him for a moment or two before once again turning away from him and resuming her flower gathering. "Why don't you answer my question?" She asked him calmly.

"Because it's a stupid question!"

She ignored his harsh words and answered the question herself. "You feel as sense of responsibility towards your wife but you do not love her." Her words hung heavy and final in the still morning air.

A strange tightening sensation gripped his chest as his cheeks burned with what he imagined was shame. He didn't understand where the queer feeling came from, but he didn't like it. "What does it matter anyways? I provide for her, make sure she's safe and give her whatever she wants. I'm a good husband for her. Love has nothing to do with it." He defended himself hotly. "Our marriage is just like any other marriage, no worse. 'Sides, she doesn't love me either."

At his words, Kaede stopped and turned towards him faster than imagined her capable of and hissed at him venomously, "You're _wrong_, boy. You have no idea what your wife feels. You can't even begin to imagine what she went through after she married you. You have no idea how much she loves you, and how you hurt her with your indifference and… affairs"

"Well that's her problem then. Our marriage was arranged by my brother. She was a fool to expect more of me." He barked back aggressively. "We got married out of duty, not love. I have every right to have as many wives and concubines as I want. You know that and she knows that. That silly sort of sappy love you're talking about was never in the plan," he countered defensively.

"Inuyasha, I hope you realize that your wife may very well die this day giving birth to your child. You've had a woman that married you when she was 17 and has dedicated herself to you and your endeavors wholeheartedly and you have squandered your chances with her for a woman you found on the street." Her eye bore into him as her unsympathetic words sunk in. "I raised a great warrior, a strong man of courage and honor. But I fear I failed with you. I didn't teach you the most important thing a man should know in life. You don't love your wife because you don't even know how."

Inuyasha fell silent at her words. He could think of nothing to say to her that would negate what she just said but still, he didn't want to accept the picture she had painted of him. He wasn't some cruel, heartless bastard that was incapable of love….was he? He had always provided for his wife and made sure she was safe. He allowed her to run the household and manage everything as she pleased. He didn't dominate or abuse her. Wasn't that enough? Wasn't that how husbands were supposed to love their wives?

Kaede turned away from him and began to walk back towards their camp slowly. "Enough of this. Come Inuyasha, bring the flowers you gathered. All of this talk of love and marriage won't matter after today anyhow." She said.

As he trailed behind her, he processed her words silently. When she didn't continue, he spoke in a hesitant, almost frightened voice, "You really think she's going to die?"

"I cannot say for certain," she answered wearily, "but I think you should know that things are not looking good right now. She is bleeding far too much. I do not see a fair ending coming for this birth. When I consulted the oracle, the prophecy was not promising."

Inuyasha stopped abruptly and stared at her in surprise. "You went to the oracle? What did it say?" He asked impatiently.

"I did not go in person, but I requested its prophecy by proxy. Rest assured, Inuyasha, you will have a child this day. The oracle has foreseen it happen and so it will." She answered. "However, the rest of the prophecy was not as promising." She paused for a moment and regarded him curiously before continuing, "the oracle has said that after this day, there will only be one woman in your heart. I fear your wife will not be the one that remains." She said gravely.

For the third time that day, he felt an uncomfortable, almost painful, pressure settle in his chest. He didn't want her to die. She was his wife, an important person in his life. If she died, she would leave a motherless hanyou child in the world to be raised by others who would never fully accept him or her. He knew personally what the loss of a mother did to a child and he didn't want that to be his firstborn's future.

His somber musings were interrupted by Kaede's voice as they approached the birthing tent once more, "She has asked to see you before we proceed. Stay out here and I will send someone to fetch you once I have checked her progress." Her voice had lost its intensity and now only conveyed the pragmatic, efficient manner of a well-seasoned midwife. The sentimental film disappeared from her eye and now it only displayed the critical scrutiny of a woman who had seen many babies enter the world. She looked at him once more before stepping forward and into the tent and left him only with a few words to keep in mind. "Do not upset her, Inuyasha," she said, "you are important to her."

Her parting words rang in his ears warningly as he sat himself in the shade of a nearby tree. He felt the knot in his stomach tighten as he considered the many things he was thinking and feeling. To be frank, he didn't think he'd ever been more afraid of anything. He was afraid of not knowing how to be a father. He was afraid of what would happen to his child if his wife died. The thought of her dying sent a wave of nearly suffocating panic through his system that he could barely suppress. No one would love their baby the way she would. No one could replace a mother. If she died, their child would be the one to suffer the most.

Inuyasha sighed wearily and ran a hand over his face and through his long silver mane. Trying to escape from the macabre and oppressive hold of his thoughts, he closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the trunk, trying to focus on the sounds and smells that surrounded him. He breathed deeply and took in the clean scents of the nearby river, of the many breakfasts cooking around the camp, of all of the people he was responsible for. In the relative stillness of the morning, it felt like he could hear everything; people talking, water running, and animals moving about the camp. He was acutely aware of everything around him and that offered him solace.

He slipped further and further away from his thoughts and concentrated on not thinking. He sat in silence for a few moments before hearing the heavy folds of fabric that made up the entrance to the birthing tent rustle and open. He rose to his feet and took a few steps towards where he knew Kaede would be waiting for him, dreading the moment he'd step into the dark, forbidden territory of the tent.

The smell attacked him as soon as he walked through the entryway. It clawed into his nose and burned its way down his throat as he stepped further inside and closer to where his wife lay. Sweat, blood, and incense had his head spinning before he even got a glimpse of the woman laboring quietly on the bedding. It was oppressive and made Inuyasha feel like gagging, but he suppressed the urge and forced himself to kneel beside his wife and offer her his hand.

Her breaths were ragged and her face glistening with sweat. When he knelt beside her, her eyes were screwed shut in pain and her knuckles were white from gripping the bedding underneath her. Even with her face contorted in agony, she didn't make noise. She breathed and suffered quietly through her pain until it subsided and she turned to acknowledge him. He could see the exhaustion written clearly in her pretty blue eyes, yet she smiled for him and accepted his hand serenely. "I'm okay," she whispered.

He didn't know what to say to her. He sat there mute, holding one of her hands in his own and awkwardly patting it with the other. He felt bad for her because she was going to die, so he figured he might as well be supportive while she was still around. They sat quite for a few moments, both waiting for the other to say something. She smiled at him tiredly before speaking up. "I'm not going to die today, you know."

Again, he couldn't think of an appropriate answer to give her, so he stayed quiet and let her continue. "I want to see him grow. I can't abandon him now."

He nodded solemnly. "Be strong."

"Have you ever known me to be otherwise?" She replied with a mischievous twinkle glinting in her tired eyes for just a moment before another contraction attacked her.

He watched her breath miserably though it, clinging to his hand and to the sheets she was laying on, writhing in silent agony. He tried to wrack his brain for something helpful to do, but before he could settle on an idea, he was shooed out of the tent by one of the women, silently thankful at being able to escape the awkward silence that stuck between them.

* * *

The boy was born some time after midnight. Bloody and wrinkled, he slid into Kaede's old yet steady hands as his mother gave a strangled cry and collapsed onto the pillows behind her. "What did I have? Oh God, Kaede, what is it?" she gasped wearily.

"You have a boy, child, a boy." Kaede whispered back. Kagome could see a tears welling up in her good eye before her own vision became clouded.

She reached out to touch him, desperately needing to know that he was real. Although he was still covered in birth fluids, she couldn't remember ever seeing something so beautiful. His first cry was faint, almost gurgled, but the second, and third, and all of the ones that followed were strong and loud. She was in a daze. She knew there was probably a frenzy of activity going on around her, but she only had eyes for her son. When he was taken out of her reach, she panicked. Irrational terror gripped her before she could rationalize that they were taking him away to clean him before his first blessings could be said.

Another pain shot through her, reminding her that she wasn't finished yet. At Kaede's gentle coaxing, she pushed again, hoping for relief from this miserable ordeal. She just wanted to hold her baby and sleep off the pervasive exhaustion that suffocated her.

With one final push, she felt something inside of her change. She felt the torrent of blood the gushed from inside of her and the almost unbearable dizziness that swept over her. Her vision swam in and out of focus and she felt herself loosing her tenuous grip on consciousness. Was this what it felt like to die? Was she really about to leave her son, her _soul_, without his blessing and his mother? "No…" she rasped out, forcing the blackness stealing into her vision away. "His blessing," she continued, "please, someone, Kaede." Tears streamed down her face. Why was it so difficult to speak? Before she could string together anything else, she felt someone take her hand and place it on her baby's forehead. "Thank the gods," she thought wearily as she heard the sound of the blessing, led by Kaede and chorused by the other women, fill the tent.

Her eyelids felt like they were made of lead, but she forced herself to stay awake until she could see her baby properly. She couldn't find the energy to move and reach for him. The ancient words of the first blessing surrounded her as she felt herself slip away. Darkness didn't engulf her all at once; it crept into her vision until there was nothing but a pinprick of light in the center. She heard the final words of her son's blessing and caught one fleeting glimpse of wide, unfocused golden eyes before the light was gone. She felt her hand slip from his head heavily and then there was….nothing.

* * *

The wrinkled, pink little creature that was placed in his arms looked nothing like the baby Inuyasha had imagined. Besides the little flaps of flesh still lying against his strangely shaped head and his tufts of silvery hair, this baby looked nothing like either of them. His eyes were tightly shut as he squirmed in his father's hold, probably trying to find his mother's scent.

Inuyasha didn't think his son ugly, just strange. He stared transfixed at the little bump of a nose currently sniffing fervently at him, trying to recognize who exactly was holding him. He watched his baby squirm even more vigorously, open his little mouth and wail loudly. Immediately seized by panic, he handed the baby off quickly to Kaede and exited the tent as quickly as he could manage. The night air was unusually cold for so early in the autumn, but Inuyasha didn't feel the chill as he gulped down some air.

He felt unnaturally agitated. He should feel happy; he had a healthy son. Instead, he was overwhelmed with anxiety. He didn't know the first thing about babies. How was he supposed to take care of his son if his wife died?

"Relax, Inuyasha, he's alright."

He turned to see Kaede walking towards him slowly. "He was missing his mother's scent. We laid him next to her and he quieted." She smiled at him. "Well, what do you think?"

"He's not what I expected." Inuyasha answered sheepishly as his cheeks colored.

"How so?"

"Well for one I though he was a girl," he answered irritably, turning away from Kaede and looking towards the hills, "and the fact that he's so weird looking doesn't help either."

He heard Kaede chuckle quietly behind him. "Its normal for babies to be a little ugly when they're born, Inuyasha, but he'll look more like you imagined in a few hours once his color changes."

"Ya think?" He asked, actually looking over his shoulder at her.

"Of course. He'll be a handsome boy; I have no doubt about it. You and his mother are both very good looking, so why wouldn't he be?"

He stood silent for a moment. "How is she?" He asked finally.

He heard Kaede sigh and turned to face her. "She's alright. Exhausted as is to be expected, but otherwise she seems to be doing surprisingly well."

He watched her old face form into a frown. "What?" He asked.

She looked up at him and he saw the confusion shining in her good eye. "I don't understand. The oracle's prophecy makes no sense now. Kagome bled more than what is normal, but that's stopped now. Even if she were to come down with the fever, which I doubt, she would never die tonight. The prophecy said that as of _tonight_, there would only be one woman in your life. I do not understand."

"Keh!" He scoffed, walking towards the tent again. "That's women's superstitions."

"Wait Inuyasha," she said, halting him before he reached his destination. "Don't go in there now. You will have plenty of time to see them soon enough. We have many things to discuss before sunrise. Come," she said before turning and walking down the path that led towards the center of camp.

Inuyasha grumbled at being treated like a pup, but followed her nonetheless. Whatever she needed to say to him better be worth it.

Kaede's tent was near the very center of their encampment. They entered in silence and settled into cushions around the fire. A skinny maid brought them tea before scurrying out like a frightened animal. Inuyasha scoffed. If there was one thing he hated more than ugly women it was fidgety women.

"The oracle is never wrong, Inuyasha, never. We may not see what it means at the moment, but rest assured that things _will_ come to pass as it have foreseen it." Kaede began solemnly.

"Whatever baba. That better not have been the reason you made me walk all the way down here." He said.

"No, Inuyasha, that's not why I asked you here." She said sternly. "We need to talk about you and Kagome."

Inuyasha stiffened. "What is there to talk about?"

"You know our laws, Inuyasha," she continued, "now that you have a child and it is apparent that Kagome can have healthy children, your mating must be completed."

"I know that," he sighed. "We will complete it."

They sat in silence for a while before Kaede spoke again. "What about the rest?" She asked tentatively.

"What rest?" He asked, his ears standing alert atop his head as his eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"The part that says that now you must either take Kikyou as your second wife or end things with her. By keeping a mistress after your legitimate wife has given you a son and heir, you dishonor both her and you child." She eyed him solemnly, waiting for him to speak. When he didn't, she pressed him, "Well?"

"Well what?" He snapped at her, his eyes staring intently into the fire.

"What will you do?"

He stared into the fire for a few more seconds before looking up at her, "Is that all?" He asked evenly.

It was Kaede's turn to ask what he meant. "Is that all you wanted to talk about?" He clarified crossly.

"No, it's not. As you know, your eight days begin at sunrise. Before then, you must go to the river, bathe, and give an offering to the gods in thanks for your child. Miroku may accompany you." She paused for a moment before continuing; "I will organize his formal blessing and naming ceremony for dusk of the eight day. We will send word to your brother and to the other provinces. Is there anything else you would like done?"

"No."

"Very well then, that was all I needed to speak with you about. You can go if you like." She said. She took up her cup of tea and sipped it quietly as Inuyasha got up and moved towards the exit. "Oh and Inuyasha," she said, stopping him by the door, "Congratulations." She smiled.

* * *

Throughout his time spent bathing in the frigid river water, placing his offering, and chorusing the prayers Miroku lead, all he could think about were his upcoming eight days. He had never been alone with his wife for more than a few hours, how the hell was he supposed to last eight days in that damned tent without driving himself crazy? How was she?

He retied his trousers and plopped down on the bank, his hair still sopping wet and his upper half uncovered. He glared at the water and tried to ignore Miroku's maddening attempts at conversation. Couldn't he get five fucking minutes to himself before being trapped for eight fucking days?

"Now I'll say, Inuyasha, maybe this won't be so bad. Your wife is very lovely and I think you two are plenty capable of finding _sensational_ ways of enjoying your time together, wouldn't you?" He asked suggestively.

"We're not having sex, you fucking lecher, she just had a baby. " Inuyasha growled

"Why, Inuyasha," Miroku replied dramatically, "I meant no such thing! What I meant to imply was that you two would be having a lot of quality conversation, no?"

When Inuyasha made a face, Miroku shook his head and chucked. "Come now, don't be so negative. Have you ever even had more than a five minute conversation with her?"

"No."

"Would it really be so bad to just talk to her for a while?"

"No, it would be fine if it were a while, but it's not, it's _eight fucking days!_"

The hanyou's irritation hung heavily in the air, clearly conveying the message that he was not exactly in a conversational mood, but the monk continued to push the subject incessantly. Finally, when Inuyasha could bear no more of it, he exploded.

"For fuck's sake, monk, shut up!" He roared. "Stop talking as though _she_ and I are a fucking happy married couple!" The venom with which he spat the word "she" sent a chill down Miroku's spine. "Can't you fucking understand, can't _anyone_ understand that this is an _arranged _marriage? I don't _want_ her." He spat viciously. "I married her because it was my duty to do so. I provide for her and keep her safe. She does what she wants and I do what I want. Why the _fuck_ does everyone have to image that there is anything else between us?"

As his tirade progressed, his voice became progressively louder until he was shouting at the top of his lungs, leaving the ever-garrulous monk speechless. When his final, explosive words were said, Inuyasha stood in front of Miroku, panting and tense like a caged tiger, practically shaking with inordinate rage.

Almost as suddenly as his anger had materialized, it disappeared. He deflated suddenly and plopped down on the group, taking his head in his hands and sighing in defeat. He sat motionlessly in that position until Miroku found his voice again. "Inuyasha…" he began uncertainly.

"I don't know what the fuck is wrong with me, monk," he answered. His words were laced with the uncertainty that threatened to consume him from the inside out. He had never felt such an unnatural and overwhelming barrage of emotions in one day. Truth be told, he was exhausted. He didn't want to go though with the miserable obligation that awaited him within the tent. All he wanted was to go back to his own bed and sleep without having to worry about women or babies or responsibilities.

"There's nothing wrong with you, my friend," Miroku offered in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. He felt an unusual sense of pity grip him as he looked at his usually strong and proud friend looking more like a child than a king. "Today has been a stressful day for everyone, especially you. It's normal to feel overwhelmed."

"What the fuck am I supposed to do with her for eight days? Talk? About what?" He continued forlornly, "I haven't been along with Kagome since before western campaign…" words he hadn't said hung in the air between them, heavy and imposing even when unspoken.

"Since before you brought Kikyou back with you, you mean." The monk finished solemnly. He remembered the day that wolf in sheep's clothing came into their lives. In trying to claim the disputed borderlands from the Hissites, Inuyasha had led the army on a six-month campaign almost a thousand miles from home. They encountered heavy resistance, but eventually managed to push they enemy back over the mountains. When the final village had been won and the Hissites dispatched, they had been treated to a festival for kings. The quaint village transformed into a utopia for the welcomed conquerors, full of every imaginable pleasure. That very night, she had come before Inuyasha with her eyes lowered demurely and her arms laden with gifts from the village headman. He had been too far to hear the words that passed between them that night, but he saw her approach his friend and somehow knew she would bring trouble into their lives. Sure enough, she worked her way into his bed that very night and somehow managed to convince him to bring her back here.

When the newly completed gates to their capital opened, the heroes rode in triumphantly with one notable addition. Kikyou rode in on a magnificent white horse originally intended to be a gift for Inuyasha's queen from the headman of the last village. She was dressed like a true royal, in lush red and gold robes, and as such stuck out like a sore thumb in the sea of grey and black armor around her as she rode up to the dais where the pregnant queen sat looking on in stunned horror.

If betrayal had a face, Miroku would bet anything that it was the one Kagome wore as she watched Kikyou come into the city. The pretty face that had glowed with radiant excitement just seconds before was now a mask of unadulterated grief. He saw her wide blue eyes dart from Kikyou to Inuyasha and back again, finally coming to meet with his own, questions practically pouring from them. He grimaced and had to look away, not being able to stomach the hurt he saw there.

By the time the Inuyasha had finished the procession and ridden up to the dais, Miroku had stationed himself near the right of the platform. He had seen the way the queen's hands clenched and unclenched on the arms of her seat and he knew she was battling with herself as to whether she should sit and silently endure the humiliation she surely felt or leave and undoubtedly cause a scene. She went pale as she watched her husband dismount his horse and step up to her, pecking her on the cheek before taking his seat to her left. She didn't speak a single word the entire day as the festivities wore on, instead sitting stoically by Inuyasha, her hand placed protectively on her growing belly, until she finally excused herself around sunset.

"Do you remember that day, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked sternly, breaking the silence that had settled upon them for several minutes.

"What the fuck are you getting at, bouzu?" Inuyasha snapped back defensively. Hell yes, he remembered that day. He remembered seeing his wife's smile crumble as she looked on. He remembered a strange guilt creep into his chest when he saw her hand fly to her belly as she looked at him with a look that could only be described as despair. He had forced it back stubbornly, refusing to feel bad for exercising his right as a king to have as many women as he wanted, at least for the time being.

"Nothing, nothing," the monk conceded, knowing he had stirred the hanyou's conscious enough. "Just try and be nice, Inuyasha. She's your son's mother, and even if you don't feel anything more than obligation towards her, you should try and be civil."

"Keh!" The hanyou grumbled in response. The two men sat in silence for a few more minutes until they noticed the eastern sky begin to lighten, knowing that it was nearly time for Inuyasha to enter the tent and face his wife for the first time since the night their son was conceived so many months ago. They had only even been alone together for any extended amount of time once, on that night, their first and only. They were practically strangers, and that, Inuyasha was certain, would make for a very uncomfortable and very long eight days.

_**End of Chapter **_


	2. Chapter 2

He entered the tent, lay down on the bed laid out for him, and promptly joined his wife and son in slumber. He slept so deeply that night that he missed the few times his son began to whimper and cry, missed the way his wife stirred and quickly soothed the infant back to sleep. He missed the way her eyes lingered on his still face in the night as she watched him with tender, shining blue eyes.

He finally awoke hours after sunrise to find the others asleep. Still half asleep, he felt like he was in a fog as he struggled to remember the last twenty-four hours. A soft coo from the small bassinette beside his wife quickly reminded him. He was a father now.

He didn't even realize he was moving until he found himself sitting at the foot of the little bed his son slept in. Kaede was right, he certainly did look a lot better now than he had last night. He has been wrong when he though the baby looked nothing like either of them. Swaddled in a soft, pure white blanket, his son was an exact miniature copy of him.

Perfect downy tufts of silver hair hid the two little folds of skin Inuyasha knew to be there. He reached out and gently touched the flawless skin covering the place where human ears would have been. His fingers ghosted over his son's forehead, his little nose, and his eyelids as he was consumed by a soul searing awe that threatened to reduce him to tears. A day ago, his child was little more than an abstraction in his mind. It didn't seem real.

Now, he felt consumed by the emotions the tiny being stirred within him: wonder, fear, joy, love, and even a little bit of dread. He didn't know the first thing about being a father. He was terrified of making a mistake with his son, of not knowing what he was supposed to do with him. He'd never really had a father himself, how could he ever know the right way to do things?

"He's so much like you." Her soft whisper broke his train of thought as he turned his head to look at her. She looked exhausted, but undeniably happy. There was a tenderness in the way she looked at their baby that showed she would be an excellent mother. She'd know what to do when he didn't. She was born for this, and he'd just have to follow her lead. Possibly for the first time ever, he could honestly say he was happy to have her as a wife.

"Yeah," he answered dumbly. He didn't know what else to say to that. The kid was his copy. They sat in silence for a while, just taking in the newness of their situation. He looked at his son a little more before turning his eyes to her. She surrounded by white: white bedding, white pillows, white nightgown. Her fair skin looked radiant, practically glowing as the early morning sunlight filtered into the tent and reflected off the bedding. She seemed enchanted by the baby lying at her side. Slowly, her eyes left the baby and turned towards him. She smiled at him and he found himself giving her a small one back. He felt peaceful for a moment, sitting in silence with his new child and newly appreciated wife. Maybe he couldn't love her in the way Kaede had talked about, maybe he'd never truly feel any passion for her, maybe their relationship would never be more than that of companions, but that didn't matter now. She was the mother of his child, the woman who gave him life, and he could never forget that.

The silence did them good, but it was short lived as their son soon began to squirm, whimper, and eventually wail, jolting Kagome from the light doze she'd fallen into and sending Inuyasha into the beginnings of panic. He was just starting to get used to a quiet, sleeping baby; he wasn't prepared to deal with a crying one. Fortunately, one of them knew what to do.

"There, darling, don't cry," she cooed gently as she took him in her arms. His fussy son quieted as soon as he felt the softness of him mother's chest against his cheek. He gurgled quietly for a moment before opening his golden orbs to look up at her adoring face. "Hello, my love," she said softly.

Inuyasha stared at them silently. There was nothing he could say as he watched his son's unfocused stare linger on his mother's face, or the way she tenderly brushed her hand along his head, letting her fingertips trace his still folded ears softly. He marveled at the way her simple presence seemed to put their son at ease enough for him to once again close his eyes and quickly fall asleep. They sat there for a while, neither one saying a word, both in awe of the little being resting in her arms.

"I can't believe he's really here," she whispered finally. She glanced up at him and gave him a brilliant smile before looking back down at the slumbering infant. "I've spent so many nights dreaming about him and wondering what he'd look like and now that he's finally here, in my arms, after so many months, I just can't believe it's true."

He didn't know how to answer her. He could lie and say he'd had those dreams too; that he'd lost sleep imagining what the child would look like, but the truth was he never had. Up until the moment he laid eyes on his son, he'd never really internalized the idea that he was having a baby. He felt guilty admitting it, but it was the truth. He hadn't been around to watch her belly grow or to feel his kicks against his palm. This baby really hadn't been a part of his life, in any way, until he was born less than a day ago.

For that reason, the intensity of the feeling assaulting him terrified him. How was it possible to come to love another person so much, literally overnight? How could he feel such devastating pride at seeing a healthy baby, his healthy baby, safely snuggled against his mother's breast? He tried to swallow the lump in his throat for the umpteenth time and blink away the hot moisture that had gathered in his eyes with no success. He felt a single tear trail down his cheek, but before he could swipe it away on his sleeve, her soft hand came and gently wiped it away. It lingered there for a moment before dropping down to clasp one his hands in his lap. "Thank you," he rasped out softly before clearing his throat and looking up at her face, "thank you," He repeated, "for him. You…you did good. Really good." He didn't know what else to say to her. It sounded stupid, even to his own ears, but he felt it, and it needed to be said.

She laughed softly and squeezed his hand. "You don't need to thank me, Inuyasha. It's thanks to you that I have him. It's thanks to you," she said seriously, "that I have a family again." She let go of his hand and moved her own to cup their son's head gently. "Thank you."

"You…uh, miss them, don't you?" He asked awkwardly, knowing the answer but wanting to get her talking. Miroku said something about talking making the time go by quicker, didn't he?

"Every day." She answered simply before falling silent once again. "They'd be so proud of our son."

"What were they like?" He asked, real curiosity taking hold of him. He knew next to next to nothing about her past and since they had nothing better to do, he figured they might as well talk about that.

She smiled softly, wistfully, and her eyes filled with tears for a moment before she blinked them away. "I loved my family very much. They were my whole world. You know, my father served yours for many years before your father died. From what I hear, they were good friends too. My father always spoke highly of King Inutashio. He told us he was an honorable king, a good man. My father was generally a man of few words so for him to speak so highly of someone was truly unusual. He was away a lot, but he was very good to us. He loved my mother and us dearly and he died protecting us the night our home was invaded."

She stopped talking for a while and simply stared into space, her eyes glazed over with the memories she was probably reliving. Inuyasha sat awkwardly, tracing a strange design on the carpet below him with his claw, waiting for her to continue, but when she didn't, he pressed on. "And your mother?"

She blinked suddenly before smiling again and looking down at the child in her arms. "My mother was an incredible woman. She was soft spoken and gentle, but firm at the same time. She showered Souta and I with love and affection always. We never had nannies or caretakers like other noble children did. She raised us herself. When we were sick, she was the one who nursed us back to health. She put us to bed every night and told us the most wonderful stories." She looked up at him warmly, "I still remember her voice. It was so beautiful, so sweet. She was always there to chase away the nightmares with comforting words. I hope I can be as good of a mother to our son as she was to me."

"And then there was my brother, Souta." She continued, her voice cracking with emotion for the first time since she'd begun speaking. "Souta was six years younger than I. When my mother got pregnant with him, I was ecstatic. I wanted a brother so badly and I prayed to the gods every night that the baby would be a boy. I don't even remember why I wanted him to be a boy so badly, but when he was, I felt like my life was perfect. I loved Souta more than anything in the world. He was my best friend and playmate, the apple of my eye. When I started my education, I'd finish my lessons only to go over them again as I tried to teach him everything I had learned, even when he was to young to understand." She smiled sadly and he saw a few tears fall into their son's blanket before she could wipe them away. "Loosing him hurt the most."

He didn't remember his father's death, but he did remember his mother's. He remembered the fire, the screams, the blood, everything. He knew what it felt like to lose your whole world in a night. Even though she hadn't said so directly, he could tell that the night her family died still haunted Kagome, and for that, he was sorry. "Hey, don't cry," he said a little gruffly as he reached over to wipe the tears from her face. "It's the past. You have a family now."

"I know," she murmured with a watery smile as her bottomless azure eyes met his.

He couldn't explain the sudden anxiety that gripped him and made his heart speed up in his chest or the way her smile seemed to trigger a strange warmth to flow through him. He didn't know why, but it was only then that he truly realized how beautiful his wife was. It was as though he were seeing the flawlessness of her skin and the sincere, fathomless splendor of her eyes. If he stopped to think, he'd be confused. If he'd bothered to wonder where this was all coming from, he would have thought himself crazy. But he didn't. He couldn't bring himself to think or wonder anything. It was just him and her, together, seeing each other for what felt like the first time.

They could have sat there for hours, but their son had other plans. The baby's stirring and sharp cry ripped them from their little fantasy moment and brought Inuyasha back to reality. He watched absentmindedly as Kagome hushed the baby before sliding her nightgown off her shoulder and settling the child against her to nurse. Though his eyes were present, his mind was occupied with thoughts of how stupidly he had been acting. Hot embarrassment coursed through him and replaced the pleasant warmth she had evoked in him earlier. What the fuck was wrong with him? All it takes is a baby and a little sleep depravation for him to be acting like a lovesick weakling with a woman he could barely stand a week ago? By the gods, what would his brother have though of him if he'd seen something like that? For the first time, he was thankful for the solitude of the tent and figured this was probably why the eight days had been instituted; to save the faces of the many fathers who seemed to loose their backbones in the presence of their newborns.

He lingered there stupidly, unsure as to whether he should look on or avert his eyes to preserve her modesty. As he finally fixed his eyes on the patterned carpet below him, he realized that although they were married and had a baby together, he'd never actually seen his wife naked before. They'd had sex only once and even then, he was so against their marriage and angry with her for her connection to it that the whole ordeal had been a miserable chore rather than a pleasurable experience. He hadn't looked at her as he led her towards their marital bed or as he went around the room blowing out all of the candles and lamps that lit it. This wasn't a fucking fairy tale where the protagonists would make love in a candlelit room. There was no love to be made; just fucking to be done, and he didn't need light to do that. He finally turned to look at her and grasp her upper arms to lean her back onto the bed, knowing she couldn't see a damn thing in the complete darkness that surrounded them. "Relax," he'd told her gruffly as he stripped her and then himself quickly, never letting his eyes move away from her face. She shouldn't be so nervous, he'd thought, she wasn't seventeen anymore.

They'd been married for almost three years, yet he'd always put off sleeping with her with some military campaign or other until his brother put his foot down and demanded that he consummate his marriage immediately or risk not inheriting the lands left to him by their father. That's why they found themselves in that darkened room, finally naked and about to do what husbands and wives had been doing since the beginning of time. There was no love here, only a strong sense of duty. But he wasn't an animal. He wasn't rough with her that night as he took her virginity and watched a few tears slip out from under her tightly closed eyes. Knowing there would be no real pleasure in the act for either of them that night, he finished as quickly as he could without hurting her and quickly lifted himself from his place on top. He cleaned himself, redressed, and left the room quickly, never once having looked down from her face during the entire episode. That's why now, sitting on the cushioned ground of the birthing tent with his wife and son only a few feet away, he didn't know whether or not he should watch her feed him from her naked breast.

But she was his wife and there was nothing sexual about the situation. She was just feeding their child. It was ok for him to look, right? It's not like it would make him lust after her, would it? When his seemingly endless string of awkward questions died down in his mind and he convinced himself to look up to see what was happening, it was over. Her nightgown had been righted and their previously nursing son was now resting against her shoulder as she patted his back gently. "What are you doing?" He asked.

"Burping him." She answered with a knowing smile. What was it with her? Was she always this smiley or was this a new development? When he didn't say anything else, she figured he had no idea what she was talking about and continued, "It keeps him from getting gassy and fussy later. If they don't burp, they can get uncomfortable," she explained patiently.

"Oh," he replied dumbly. She seemed to know exactly what to do at all times to care for their son while he didn't even know where to begin. He wasn't used to being inept and it was uncomfortable for him to admit that he was very much so in this area.

"Don't worry, Inuyasha," she added, as though she could sense his discomfort, "he's only a day old. It'll come to you."

"Keh."

She smiled at him again before lowering their son back into the cradle of her arms. Inuyasha could see his little eyelids drooping as he was lulled back to sleep. "Would you like to hold him?"

He felt his mouth go dry as he thought of the first and only time he'd held his son and the way the little being had shrieked in his hold. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea, but he couldn't deny that he wanted to. Seeing her hold and coddle him all this time had made him a little envious, so he agreed and held his arms out for her to place the baby in.

Immediately, their son was wide-awake again. His unfocused stare darted around as his little nose furiously sniffed at the scent that had displaced his mother's. Inuyasha could see his son growing more and more upset, even as he tried to soothe him by rocking him the way he'd seen Kagome do before, until finally he let out an ear-piercing howl that had his nervous father handing him quickly back to his mother.

"There, there, darling, don't cry," She whispered as she rocked the distraught infant and gently ran her hand along his head.

"He…," Inuyasha began, unable to keep a hint of dejection from seeping into his voice as he realized just why his son seemed so wary of him, "he doesn't know me."

"Of course he doesn't, Inuyasha, he's a day old, he doesn't know anyone," she answered.

"That's not what I mean," he continued, "I know he doesn't know anyone consciously, but he's a hanyou, Kagome, he knows people by scent and stuff." He paused uncertainly, suddenly embarrassed by what he was about to say, "He should know me, I'm his father, but he doesn't, and I'm pretty sure I know why that is."

He saw her eyes soften in his direction, as she understood what he was trying to say. "It's not your fault," she assured him.

"Yes it is," he barked back irritably, though she knew it wasn't directed at her, "I should have spent more time with you while you were pregnant. I should have been around more so he could hear my voice and smell me on you when he was born, but I wasn't, and now my own son thinks I'm a stranger trying to take him away from his mother."

She saw the hurt in his eyes as he admitted what they both knew out loud and couldn't help but feel sorry for him. "Don't torment yourself over that now," she said gently. "He's here now and so are you. He'll come to understand if you keep trying. You can still be here for him and show him who you are."

"You're right," he answered with a firm nod after pondering what she'd said for a moment. "I want him to know who I am. I know what it's like to not know your father and I don't want that for him. I'll do whatever it takes."

"Just be here." She whispered.

"I will."

They watched their son fall asleep before she gently laid him back down in his own bedding. Just watching him was quickly becoming their favorite pastime, so they indulged wordlessly. When Inuyasha's eyes finally broke away from the slumbering infant to glance up at his wife, he found her asleep in what couldn't be a comfortable position. Propped up on so many pillows, she'd surely have a sore neck to add to her already undoubtedly aching body when she woke up. "Silly woman," he huffed, but got up to move her anyways.

Slipping his arm under her shoulders, he lifted her top half from the mound of pillows and leaned her against his chest instead. He pulled all but two of the pillows away before laying her down again, taking care to not catch her hair under her shoulders. Would it be wrong to run his fingers through it to see if it was truly as silky as he thought? He didn't really think too hard on the subject before allowing himself to do so.

It was softer than he imagined. As he ran his hands through the inky strands, he allowed himself to think that it felt good to be with her like this. Maybe they could spend more time together, even after their time in the tent was over. It'd be good for their son, right? To see them together? He thought so, and for his son, he'd do anything. As he moved from his seat over to his own bed for a nap, he thought that perhaps he could be with Kagome, really be with her, for their son. Maybe it could happen and maybe he could be happy about it too. Maybe…

* * *

"What the fuck was I thinking?" He asked himself for the hundredth time as he lay motionlessly in his bed. He hadn't been awake for very long, yet he was already wide awake and questioning his prior judgment. The entire day he'd acted like some sort of senseless idiot, contemplating some romantic future with a woman who was still practically a stranger to him. When he remembered the fact that he'd even gone so far as to run his fingers through her hair, he couldn't help but cringe at his own foolishness.

It simply wasn't ok for him to behave this way. He wasn't in love with her and he had no intentions of ever being so, so he needed to control himself to avoid giving her any ideas. Gods knew the woman was soft as it was, with all her senseless smiling and soft-spoken presence, he didn't need to add to it by making her hope for any kind of romantic love from him. He couldn't love her ever, not as she was. What she lacked in backbone couldn't be made up for with sweetness. Truly, she was just a sweet simpleton, and that was precisely why he couldn't love her.

The baby began to stir before she did and, though the last thing he wanted was to keep interacting with her, he moved to wake her before their son really got upset. "Kagome," he said quietly as he shook her shoulder. "Kagome wake up, the baby,"

"Hmmm," she whined while burrowing into the bedding for a moment before opening her eyes. "What time is it?" she asked groggily.

"Almost sunset from what I can tell," he answered blankly, trying very hard not to notice how adorable she looked as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes. "He's waking up."

His words came just an instant before the first cry rang out. The strong, shrill cry that came from the infant's mouth and forced Inuyasha to press his delicate ears to his skull reminded them both that he was definitely Inuyasha's son. His grimace must have been amusing, because she let out a light laugh before reaching up to lightly trace the distressed appendages. "Hand him to me?"

He shook off the shock that bolted through him when she touched his ears and went over to pick up the wailing baby. The screams didn't escalate as he though they would when he pick the child up, but neither did they quiet, so he rushed back to hand him over to the one person capable of quieting him. She'd propped herself back up on the mountain of pillows and was ready to take the little noisemaker from him. "Oh, you stink, baby," she chimed playfully.

Now that she mentioned it, he noticed it too. Their son reeked. Inuyasha couldn't help but acknowledge the boy's right to cry over a smell like that. If he didn't know better, he'd probably be crying too. "Can you hand me that bag over there?" she asked with an elbow point towards a large leather satchel laying near the entrance.

She changed him quickly with what Inuyasha could only assume was practiced ease. She cleaned him gently and rewrapped him in a new soft cloth diaper, tying the ends in small but secure knots. She had him cleaned, redressed, and quiet in the time it probably would have taken him to unravel his dirty diaper without cutting through it with his claws. He'd have to content himself with being her porter for the time being, fetching this and that and putting the dirty bundle she wrapped up for him outside the entrance flap for one of the maids to pick up.

"Thank you for helping me so much," she said with a smile after she'd settled the baby to her chest to nurse. "I really appreciate it."

"Keh, don't worry about it. You shouldn't push yourself yet. 'Sides, its not like I have anything else to do."

She smiled at him again, but this time he noticed it falter and turn into a grimace before she looked down at their son and readjusted him on her breast. He'd seen her grimace a few times while feeding their son, but it was always so fleeting he thought he may he imagining it. This time, he was sure of what he saw. "Does it hurt?" He asked.

"Not as much as giving birth," she joked. When his face didn't change, she answered him more seriously. "It does. He tugs hard, but it's normal and I'm sure I'll get used to it." She was quiet after that and he found himself focusing on her face.

It didn't take much to see that she was minimizing what she felt for his benefit. She couldn't hold back the frequent winces of pain or the little whimpers he only heard because he was listening for them. "We could get a wet nurse for him once we're out of here."

"I'd rather not." She responded. "He's my child and I want to be the one to nurse him. I'm sure it only hurts now because I'm not used to it. I'll get over it."

The conviction in her voice surprised him, but he didn't argue. If she wanted to feed him, fine. He was only suggesting the wet nurse for her benefit. It's not like he really cared either way.

"I wish his grandparents could be here to meet him," she said suddenly, "He'll never get to meet them."

He'd never had grandparents, but he figured she had at some point from the twinge of sadness that had seeped into her voice. "He's got Kaede, doesn't he? She'll be kind of like a grandmother, I guess," he ventured.

"You're right," She conceded. "But I still wish our parents could have been here to meet him."

He didn't voice his agreement, but he truly did feel the same way. He'd been thinking a lot about his parents lately, especially his mother. She would have adored his son. He didn't really know what his father would think, but he liked to believe the old man would also be fond of his son. But they'd never know, would they? Both sets of parents were dead, he reminded himself, and there was no use dwelling on a fantasy that could never come true. His already sullen mood only soured in the brief silence that followed. The sound of approaching footsteps was a welcome distraction. "Someone's coming," he told his wife.

He glanced over at her as he moved towards the entrance of the tent, waiting for whoever was coming to get close enough for him to smell. "Kaede," he asserted once the old woman came within the range of his nose, "but she's not alone."

"She's probably here to check on us," she said while gesturing towards the infant perched on her shoulder.

It only took a few moments before the old woman entered the tent. "Ah Kagome, Inuyasha," she acknowledged with a smile and a nod. "Is everything well?"

"Yes, Kaede, everything is fine," Kagome assured her.

"I thought it would be wise to come and check on you myself and have some attendants bring water for a bath."

Inuyasha couldn't help but chuckle at the way Kagome's face lit up at the mere mention of a bath. His wife's affinity for daily baths was well known. Kaede was here to bring her favorite present.

"But first I need to check you so please give Inuyasha the baby." She instructed. She caught the awkward stares the two exchanged and when no one moved, she spoke again. "Is something the matter?"

"He doesn't like it when I hold him," Inuyasha answered bluntly.

"I see," Kaede responded. "It's quite normal, I assure you. You just have to hold him until he gets used to it, even if he cries at first. Comfort him when he cries, but don't hand him over. He will learn your scent quickly if you do this."

"Keh." He huffed, but moved to take the baby from Kagome's arms anyhow. Not surprisingly, the first cry rang out even before he was fully out of Kagome's arms. Loud, ringing cries filled the tent as the little boy squirmed to get out of his father's hold. But Inuyasha was determined and instead of quickly handing his son over to his wife, he gathered him to his chest and bounced him gently the way he'd seen Kagome do before.

He turned his back to the two women to give them some privacy and focus on the screaming infant in his arms. It felt like the seconds were dragging by as he tried to comfort and quiet the distressed child. He bounced him and rocked him and stroked the back of his head the way he'd seen Kagome do until the screams finally died down to whimpers. He certainly wasn't happy, but at least he wasn't screaming anymore.

He heard Kagome groan from behind him before the scent of fresh blood reached his nose. "What's going on?"

"It's alright, Inuyasha, I'm nearly finished," Kaede assured him with a steady voice.

"Kagome?"

"I'm fine," she assured him tensely. He could tell she was in pain and that knowledge unsettled him. What the fuck was Kaede doing to her?

"Alright, all finished," Kaede finally announced. "Inuyasha, put the baby down and come help me prepare Kagome's bath."

He placed his son into his little bassinette before turning back to face the two women. Kagome was lying back in her bedding looking as pale as the sheets around her. Though she smiled at him, she couldn't hide that she was in pain.

Between him and Kaede, the bath was quickly prepared and a large screen put up to give Kagome some privacy. She tried to stand up alone, but her legs were weak and he instead carried her over to the tub. He didn't miss the bloodstain left on the bedding or the way she whimpered when he moved her. "Thanks," she whispered breathlessly as he set her down.

Wordlessly, he went back over to his son and scooped the sleeping baby up. He was surprised when his son didn't wake up, but was thankful for the chance to simply sit and hold him. He could hear Kaede helping Kagome into the bath and the hiss that followed the initial splash of water. "My, how he's changed."

He looked up to see old Kaede settling herself across from him. "Sure has." He conceded. She wasn't lying when she'd said he wouldn't always be red and wrinkly. "Is she ok?" He asked her.

From the way the smile slipped from her old face, he could tell that she wasn't expecting his total bypass of pleasantries. "Well?"

"She'll be alright." She said cautiously. "She's still very uncomfortable, though. It was a very difficult birth and it'll probably take a while for her to fully recover."

"Was it that bad?"

"Look at your son's hands, Inuyasha," she told him. He did and immediately understood why she'd asked him to. Soft little claws adorned all ten fingers. "They are soft still, but I assure you, they are hard enough to cause significant damage. That's where the blood is coming from."

"What can you do?"

"There is little I can do other than help keep her comfortable and clean. It will heal on it's own, but it'll be painful for a while."

"Why didn't she say anything?" He asked. He'd been with her the whole day and other than the time when she was nursing, she never seemed to be in pain.

"For your benefit, most likely." Kaede answered plainly. "She doesn't like to complain."

"Hm," was all he replied.

"I must ask you to abstain from sex with her for at least two months until the mating ceremony." She added sternly.

"Of course." He answered her. It's not like he slept with Kagome anyways…

If Kaede noticed he was being unusually passive, she didn't mention it and they fell into a comfortable silence as they waited for Kagome to finish.

The rest of the evening passed by quietly. They ate the mean Kaede and the servants had brought and drank their tea, occasionally talking about this or that, but mostly remaining quiet. Kaede gave Kagome some strange smelling herbal tea that had her drowsy almost immediately, so she settled down to nurse the baby once more before it took full effect. No sooner had the baby been fed, burped, and handed off to Inuyasha than she was sound asleep.

Kaede lingered for a little while longer to teach him how to change a diaper. He tried several times, but finally gave up with a huff and handed him off to Kaede, insisting he'd never have to do it anyways. The old woman chuckled lightly as she changed the fussy baby who was quickly becoming annoyed at changing arms so frequently.

"I will be back tomorrow," she said once she was ready to leave them for the night.

"Keh." Was his reply as he watched the old woman leave and was left alone with his sleeping wife and child.

It didn't take long for him to flop down on his bedding and realize that he was dreadfully bored, not to mention restless. In the past day, he'd had to deal with more emotions than he had in the entire year before it. He wasn't good with feelings and frankly tried to keep himself as detached as possible from everything and everyone around him. It didn't look like that would be possible for him anymore.

He knew he could never keep the safe distance he was accustomed to with his son. He wanted the kid to have what he never did: a father who was around. Sure, it wasn't his old man's fault he'd died and was never in his life, but that didn't mean he didn't resent him for it. His mother had been through hell in trying to raise a half-breed, prince or no, alone. He didn't love Kagome, but that didn't mean he wanted that for her. Sure, he was the king now and no one would dare insult him or his children publicly, but that didn't mean that they accepted them.

There would always be people, human and demon alike, who would resent the concept of his mixed blood. He knew some of his subjects hated him and would want nothing more than to have him rot in a ditch somewhere. He knew it was only fear that kept the majority of them at bay. They couldn't hope to defeat him, so they lowered their heads and followed his lead. He offered them stability and protection, a safe city where they'd always have food. Though he acted like it sometimes, Inuyasha was no fool.

He growled softly as the countless insults he'd been taunted with filtered through his mind.

"_Filthy…"_

He'd heard the scathing whispers his mother's human ears missed. He saw the way they looked at him when her back was turned.

"_Abomination…"_

He remembered being alone after her murder and not being able to find refuge in any village because of what he was.

"…_shouldn't be allowed to live…"_

"…_should have been drowned at birth…"_

"…_contaminated, disgusting being…"_

He'd had no one to protect him, no one to shield him for the hateful world, but his son would. He'd make sure the little boy always had a place in the world. His child would have better than what he had had. Inuyasha's son would be a happy child with two parents if he had anything to say about it, and as the king, he certainly would.

"I am the king," he said quietly with a smirk, "and my word is the law."

**_End of Chapter _**


	3. Chapter 3

"Inuyasha!"

Her excited call tore him from his pleasant dream and elicited an annoyed groan from the hanyou as he stubbornly tried to ignore her. It was the beginning of their fifth day in the tent and entirely too early for any sort of conversation. "Shut up, wench,"

"Inuyasha, look! His ears!" He knew she was bursting with excitement from her voice. While he'd usually be indifferent at best, her timing made her voice grate on his fragile morning nerves. He turned around brusquely and opened his mouth to snap something at her when his eyes found the reason for her early morning intrusion. "They're unfurling!"

His bad temper died then as his eyes locked on the furry appendages in question. One perfect, downy ear stood erect while the other remained stuck to his head. Inuyasha chuckled at the sight. Though he'd never say the word out loud, he couldn't deny that his son looked painfully cute. "When'd this happen?" He asked her as he moved from his bedding over to sit next to them.

"Just now! I just finished burping him and when I brought him back down from my shoulder, it was like this!"

He couldn't help but me amused at her obvious enthusiasm. He watched her as she took the tender flesh between her fingers and rubbed it gently, causing their son to jolt slightly before relaxing again in her arms. It only took a few more seconds of her gentle attention to his ear before the infant was fast asleep again. Looking upon the exchange silently, he couldn't help but wonder what it'd feel like if she rubbed _his_ ears.

It was a momentary lapse, he told himself, as he hurried to shove the appalling idea out of his head with a different topic of conversation. "Have you thought of a name for him yet?"

Kagome looked up at him with a thoughtful expression on her pretty face. "No," she said solemnly. "I mean, I have thought of names, but none of them seem right for him."

"How so?"

She shrugged sheepishly and looked down at their son again. "It's like none of the names I'd thought of are good enough anymore. I haven't found one with a meaning that's special enough for him."

"Fair enough. You still have some time." He added nonchalantly as he flopped back down on his bedding. "Naming ceremony's not for another three days."

"Do you have any ideas." Her question was simply, yet it surprised him.

"Why're you asking me? It's tradition for the mother to name the firstborn." He told her.

"I know," she said innocently, "but still. I figured you might want some say in it too."

"Well thanks, but I've got nothin'."

"Come on," she added lightly, "I'm sure you must have _some_ ideas. And who knows, maybe you'll inspire me."

"Keh."

"Please?"

"Fine. Botan."

"I don't like that one."

"Daisuke."

"I thought of that one, too, but it didn't seem right."

"Hideo."

"Nope."

"This is stupid." He grumbled. "Just pick something, will ya?"

"Fine, fine, you don't have to help me," she finally conceded with a chuckle. "I guess baby names aren't your thing."

"How perceptive."

She dropped the subject and they sat in silence for a little while. He was almost asleep again when her voice roused him. "Inuyasha?" She asked softly.

"What?" He snapped, but got up just the same.

"Can you take him?" She asked him weakly, "I'm feeling a little dizzy."

He turned to her and extended his arms for her to lay the baby in. She looked like hell. In a matter of minutes she'd gone from looking like the picture of health to looking like she was about to faint. "Hey," he said softly as he adjusted the baby to lie in one arm, "Kagome? What's wrong with you?" He asked her, unable to keep the worry out of his voice.

"I'm ok, I'm just dizzy." She assured him as she lay back in her bedding and closed her eyes. "Don't worry, I just need to sleep for a little bit."

"Do you need me to get Kaede?"

"No, no, I'm fine," she assured him again with a weak smile. "Wake me up if he needs anything."

He decided to let the whole thing slide in favor of letting her sleep. She did look exhausted. Was it just him, or was she paler than she was just a second ago? Were the dark rings under her eyes suddenly darker, or was he imagining it? With a shake of his head, he made a mental note to tell Kaede about this later before pushing the troubling thoughts from his mind and turning to the infant in his arms.

He was surprised to see that his son now had two ears standing on his head. The little appendages twitched frequently, not yet accustomed to the new level of sensitivity as his son remained still but alert in his arms. The boy's eyes were fixed on his father's face, a pensive look far beyond his five days on his little face. Already he was far more aware than any human babies his age.

"What's wrong with your mom, kid?" He asked the wide-eyed infant who didn't even acknowledge he's spoken. "That taste good?" He continued with a chuckle, watching as his son greedily chewed on his balled fist with a look of complete concentration on his face.

He sat there with him for a while, just watching go through all of his baby activities before finally nodding off again. Fist sucking, foot sucking, thumb sucking, he watched all of it intently, surprised by how enthralled his son was.

Eventually though, Inuyasha was once again overcome by the overriding boredom that had plagued his days in the tent. There was _nothing_ to do, especially when everyone else was asleep. He could either go to sleep or sit there twiddling his thumbs like an idiot until Kagome woke up. "Ironic," he though to himself, "I though talking to her would be bad. I didn't even stop to think of how bad _not_ talking to her would be."

Just when he though he could take no more and was on the brink of waking his son up just so he'd have something to do, he heard someone approaching. Thanking whatever gods had taken mercy on him, he bolted to the entrance of the tent and quickly told the serving girl to fetch Kaede before snatching the tray of food she bore and ducking back inside. He was famished.

He wolfed down his food before flopping back onto his bedding lazily to wait for Kaede. The old woman was as slow as a dying turtle, but she'd come eventually. He felt pleasantly drowsy after his meal and was beginning to doze off himself when the entrance flap rustled and the old crone hobbled in. "Hello, Inuyasha," she greeted patiently, watching him knowingly as he blinked the sleep from his eyes. "You called for me?"

"Yeah. Something's wrong with Kagome. She told me she was dizzy earlier and she's been sleeping ever since. She got all pale and everything."

"Hmmm," she remarked as she walked over to the sleeping woman. "How long ago was that?"

"I dunno, an hour or two?"

"Have you noticed any changes in her scent?" She asked him as she felt Kagome's forehead.

"No, why?"

"She is running a little bit of a fever, but that's not all that unusual. It's not high, so an herbal tea should bring it down." She continued to examine Kagome silently, working patiently as to not wake her.

Inuyasha watched her work quietly for a while, but eventually his impatience got the better of him. "Well?" He finally snapped irritably. "What's wrong with her?"

"It's nothing to worry about, Inuyasha, it's normal. She just needs to feed the baby more often."

"Why? He's not hungry." Inuyasha asked, confused as to where this conversation was going.

"For her, Inuyasha, not for him. She needs to get rid of some of her milk in order to feel better. The added milk will do the baby good, so there's no harm done and everyone is healthy." She explained.

"How is not feeding him enough making her sick?" He continued to pester her.

"Inuyasha, I cannot explain all of these things to you. It's just how it is. When the child wakes up, give him to her to feed, even if he's not crying. She'll be fine in a day or two as long as feedings become more regular. I know your son doesn't require feeding as often as a human baby, but she is human and her body is telling her she needs to feel him more."

"Keh." He finally conceded, giving up on understanding the nonsense she was spouting. "Anyways, I'm bored as hell in here. I need something to do."

Kaede chuckled softly for a moment before addressing him, "I'm sorry, Inuyasha, but you know I can't give you something to do. This is supposed to be a time of contemplation for you two. You should be getting closer to each other and to your son while spending time meditating and praying."

"I'm a king, not a priest! I can't just be holed up in here with nothing to do for eight days, I'm going stir-crazy!" He barked back crossly.

"Settle down, boy, it's not so bad. Gather your wits and deal with it. You're not the first man to go through this and you certainly won't be the last." She chided.

"Keh."

He watched as a serious look overtook Kaede's old face as soon as their conversation took a lapse. "What's up, baba?"

"Nothing you should concern yourself with at this time. Like I told you, this is a time for contemplation."

"Baba…" he warned.

"Do not concern yourself with it."

"Fine, I guess you want this to happen the hard way. Kaede, I _order_ you to tell me what you're hiding. I am the king." He told her smugly. It was an empty order. Both of them knew he'd never do anything to reinforce his power towards her, but nonetheless, it achieved his goal.

"Impudent whelp," she muttered darkly. "A scout brought back a military note that was found at one of the destroyed Hissite camps. It's probably written in the Hissian language; no one here can read it, so I had a scribe copy it and sent it to your brother's court."

"Hm," Inuyasha grunted solemnly. "When did this happen?"

"This morning."

"You should have told me sooner." He rebuked.

"You can't read it either, so what good would it have done?" She countered smartly. "I told you, you shouldn't concern yourself with those things now. It has been dealt with. Sessomaru will send back a translated copy. He has many learned men in his court, someone is bound to know the Hissian language."

"Keh. We'll need to get one of those too. I don't think there's a damn soul in the city that speaks that gibberish."

"Speaks what?"

Inuyasha turned to see Kagome sleepily rubbing her eyes. "Hissian." He answered simply.

"I can speak Hissian." She said.

"What?"

"Yeah, I can speak Hissian." She repeated. "I grew up near the borderlands."

"You never told me that." He rebuked.

"You never asked." She told him plainly, holding her arms out for the baby.

"Keh." He handed the kid over and crossed his arms petulantly. "Sneaky bitch." He muttered.

"What is this all about?" She asked.

When he didn't answer her in favor of preserving his scowl, she turned her questioning eyes to Kaede. "A scout recovered a note from a Hissian camp and brought it back. No one is sure of what it says, so we sent a copy of it to Sessomaru."

"Let me see it."

"Keh. No," The hanyou's irritated voice cut in.

"What do you mean 'no'?" Kagome asked him, a wisp of irritation creeping into her own voice at his childishness.

"You stupid or something? I said no. It's none of your damn business anyways." He shot back angrily.

"What's the matter with you?"

"Just drop it, ok? Just shut up and leave me the fuck alone. I don't need you damn help." He didn't even understand his anger, but he basked in it nonetheless. Everything about her was bothering him right now and frankly, there was nothing he wanted more than to have her out of his sight.

He could see the raw hurt in her eyes and the way it festered with another emotion he couldn't recall ever seeing in them: anger. He waited for her to say something back to him, waiting for his chance to lash out at her again, but it never came. She just watched him with unwavering, hard eyes.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew he was being irrational. She was just trying to help but, damnit, he was fucking _tired_ of being in this stupid tent with her. He was angry and she just happened to be the most convenient target for it. It was wrong, but he couldn't find it within him to care.

Turning away from her with an irritated growl, his eyes landed on the old crone he'd basically forgotten about. Her face was empty as she looked at him with her beedy, dark eye. Their silence was suffocating him, making it difficult to cling to his illogical anger and ignore the fact that he'd just been an ass.

A loud, demanding wail tore through the tension and granted him the reprieve he so desperately required. Flopping down into his bedding grumpily, he wished, not for the first time since their time had began, that the earth would just swallow him.

* * *

It took him all of an hour to realize he'd fucked up, big time, with his little outburst. Kagome had ignored him ever since, instead making small talk with Kaede while she fed the baby and bathed. He's been content enough to sink into the background and let their idle chatter fill the tent, but now that the old woman had gone, he felt like the silence was slowly smothering him.

He snuck another glance at Kagome and found she hadn't moved from where he'd last seen her: sitting up in her bed, looking down at the sleeping infant in her arms. He'd been fed, burped, and changed, so he'd probably be asleep for quite a while, leaving Inuyasha to remedy the situation or face another three days locked in the stifling tension.

"Inuyasha."

Her voice cut into his thoughts suddenly and breaking the deafening silence. He hesitated only for a moment, searching for something appropriate to say, but before he could get the words out, she spoke again. "I know that you don't love me."

What exactly was he supposed to say to that? "You're right, I don't"? Or maybe he should lie to make her feel better with an "I'm just not good with words"? He didn't know which would be appropriate, so he remained silent and hoped she'd take his silence as a sign to continue.

"I know that. I've always known that. I've always stayed out of your life and let you do what you want, and I'll continue to do that, but I need you to make me a promise."

She hadn't even looked up at him while she spoke; her eyes still glued to the slumbering baby she held. "What is it?" He asked her, not really sure he wanted to hear what she'd ask him for but figuring he had to at least say something.

Her eyes finally met his as her voice once again reached him, measured and perfectly clear, "I don't want Kikyou around him. Whether you decide to marry her in the future or not, I don't want her near the baby."

Never before had he seen the stony intensity he saw in her eyes now or heard her speak so directly. They'd never talked about Kikyou before. Since he'd brought her back with him, her name had never been mentioned between them. She'd become a phantom both were thinking of but neither mentioned. Now that it had been uttered, by Kagome of all people, he wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. He couldn't deny her this, but he couldn't keep the rebellion out of his voice as he challenged her. "And if I don't?"

"Then I'll go to the council." She replied back stonily, her gaze never wavering. It wasn't a threat, rather it was simply a statement of fact.

"You'd go over my head and take me before the council?" He could barely believe what he was hearing. Was this really his wife? Kagome?

"You may be the king, Inuyasha, but he is my son and there is nothing I won't do to protect him." She told him bluntly, "I'm asking you because I don't want to cause trouble, but if you don't agree, then we can do this the hard way too. I will not back down." Her voice was firm, but not angry. She looked at him, patiently waiting for his reply without a hint of aggression in her countenance.

He wasn't sure he knew the woman in front of him. Where had the soft-spoken, spineless woman he'd married? Very few people dared stand up to him, to challenge him so directly and with so much conviction, yet without resorting to the types of feminine hysteria he'd heard horror stories about. He should be angry with her, feel insulted or something similar, but instead, he felt a discreet feeling of pride bloom in his chest as he watched her stand up to him without losing her cool. "Fine."

"You promise me?"

"I promise she'll never come near him." He assured her. It's not like he could truly deny her what she was asking. The law was on her side, and he knew the council would side with her. Until his hanyou children reached the age when the phases of the moon began to affect them consistently, they were solely under their mother's rule. Though the council lacked the power to force him to abide by its decision, it wouldn't sit well with the populace to perceive their king as disregarding tradition. She'd get her way in any case, so he didn't even see the point in putting up a fight.

"Thank you." She told him, her eyes loosing the hardened edge they'd held before. "She can come to the naming ceremony if she wants. She is a citizen here and it wouldn't be right to shun her from such a public event. I'm alright with her being there as long as she stays away afterwards."

For the life of him, he couldn't understand this woman. She'd be well within her rights to demand Kikyou be excluded, be publically shamed for not being allowed to participate in the festivities, and yet instead, she was assuring him she'd allow it. He didn't know whether he thought her magnanimous or stupid. "Fine." He repeated.

He'd learned the hard way that sometimes, saying less was best. When before he would have given anything to hear their conversation fill the silence, now he wanted nothing more than to have some space. He wasn't angry with her like he'd been before, but her recent show of both indomitable courage and generosity troubled him.

He'd thought her weak, yet she had apparently gone through a hellish birth and recovery period and never once complained. He'd thought her spineless, yet she'd stood up to him with no hesitation. It bothered him to consider that, perhaps, he didn't actually know her like he though he did. He thought her simple-minded, yet apparently she spoke several languages and had more education than he'd imagined. He'd taken her soft-spoken, gentle nature as a sign of inferiority, of womanly incompetence, yet in the past hour, she'd clearly shown him that she was neither inferior nor incompetent. "You should rest." He told her finally, hoping she'd fall asleep and stop looking at him with her seemingly omniscient blue eyes.

"Alright," she conceded. She laid their son gently in his bassinette and quickly fell into a peaceful slumber, leaving Inuyasha alone with only the dizzying thought in his head for company.

He couldn't recall a time when he'd ever felt so unsure. What he needed now was a talk with Miroku. The lecher would know what to make of this. But how in the seven hells was he supposed to talk to him when he was supposed to be in seclusion?

* * *

"Pssst! Inuyasha?" Came the monk's voice through the thick fabric of the tent wall.

"Gods, am I happy to hear from you monk." Inuyasha felt like a pansy, sneaking around in the middle of the night to talk to Miroku, but it was the best he could come up with. When the maid had come with their evening meal, he'd ordered her to bring him a writing kit and to keep her mouth shut. Now, hours later, he was certain the message had been delivered as intended. "I need your help."

"What's going on?" The monk questioned him.

"Come to the door flap." Inuyasha instructed him. When he heard the monk settle down by the entrance, he reached for the flap and pried it open to reveal Miroku dressed in black robes he figured were for camouflage.

"You do realize Kaede would have our asses if she found out?"

"Can it, monk, I need your help."

"And Kagome?"

"Asleep." Inuyasha responded, "It's actually about her. What I need your help on."

"What happened?"

Inuyasha spoke quickly, the words spilling from his lips in a frenzied rush. Miroku listened to him patiently until everything had been said and Inuyasha sat, the picture of miserable confusion, waiting for him to speak. "Well?" He pushed.

"Well what? What exactly do you want me to say?" Miroku asked him.

"What do I do?"

"About what?" The monk questioned again.

"About Kagome!" Inuyasha hissed back, getting annoyed at how useless the monk was turning out to be.

"Inuyasha, listen to yourself." Miroku ordered. "Really now, I hate to tell you "I told you so" but, well, I did. It's about time you realized your were wrong about her."

"Hey! I never said anything about being wrong!" Inuyasha grouched.

"Stop being a child, Inuyasha." The monk scolded. "From what I gathered from your story, it would seem that you're starting to see Kagome in a new light. That's not a bad thing."

"What am I supposed to do? I… I don't know how I'm supposed to act now. Things are…different. She's not what I thought and I don't know what to do. It's like she's a different person!"

"Shhh! Be quiet, idiot, or she'll wake up."

"Sorry," he mumbled, suddenly feeling very embarrassed. Maybe he shouldn't have confided in the monk.

"Inuyasha, I understand that realizing all of this has probably got you uncomfortable, but really, there really isn't anything I can tell you to make you feel better."

"Why the hell not? You're a monk, aren't you? All filled with wisdom and shit?"

"This is my wisdom. This is something you've got to work through on your own. Obviously the dynamic between you two has changed. You have a child now and you've got to find a new balance you both can live with. I can't tell you where that is."

"Fuck it," Inuyasha grumbled.

They sat in silence for a while as Inuyasha thought through everything the monk had said and tried to figure out how exactly he was supposed to proceed in trying to find this "new balance". He wasn't really aware that they'd had a balance before, but apparently, they did and it was all thrown off now, leaving him to find a new one. "Should I apologize?"

"That depends." Miroku answered him.

"Cut the cryptic shit, Miroku," the irritated hanyou snapped, "what the fuck does it depend on?"

"It depends on whether or not you're sincerely sorry." Replied Miroku. "Kagome is a smart woman. She'd see through a fake apology, so it's best you do it honestly or not at all."

"Keh."

"Oh for the love of the Gods, Inuyasha, stop sulking!"

"I'm not sulking!" Inuyasha asserted vehemently while trying to keep himself from pouting. He'd had enough with being wrong today, so he refused to give the monk the satisfaction of scolding him like a child.

"Of course not." Miroku teased with a knowing smile. "King's doing pout, do they Inuyasha."

"Can it."

"Are you going to apologize?" The monk asked gently.

"I was a real ass this morning and I do feel bad about it but…"

"But what?"

"Well, this isn't exactly something I do everyday!" Inuyasha snapped at him. "I don't apologize. How exactly am I supposed to go about it?"

"Just do what feels natural, Inuyasha," Miroku instructed him patiently, "It's not about having an elaborate speech or setup. Just be honest and I'm sure she'll appreciate it."

"You're no fucking help."

"Really? Then why is it you always ask me for help?"

"Keh. Go back home monk. I'll see you in a few days." Inuyasha snorted dismissively, shutting the tent flap in the monk's face as though he were trying to smother the smug look on his face. "Goodnight."

* * *

He slept little that night. Though their son had been mercifully asleep during his chat with Miroku, the little one had other ideas for the rest of the night. He cried and fussed for what felt like an eternity, neither hungry nor in need of changing, and made sure both of his parents knew who exactly was the boss of this household.

Now, well after dawn, the tiny noisemaker had decided he was hungry and, after feeding vigorously and causing his mother to hiss in discomfort, he'd finally settled down to sleep. Their ears were still ringing when Inuyasha decided to speak. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

"Hmm?" Kagome inquired sleepily, her eyes half closed as she finally lay back in her bedding.

"I said I was sorry," He repeated, louder this time and trying his hardest not to sound irritated at having to repeat himself, reminding himself that she was human and lacked his super refined sense of hearing.

Suddenly, she was awake and sitting up, her bottomless blue eyes searching his face for any signs of insincerity. Finding none, her face took on a look of complete confusion before she spoke. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Keh, I feel fine! What, do you think me incapable of apologizing?" He asked her, feeling his cheeks color under her scrutiny.

"I'm sorry, I just wasn't…expecting one, I guess." She amended quickly. She looked intently at him for another few seconds before offering him a tentative smile he found himself returning.

"So we're ok?"

"Yeah," she answered softly. "Thank you."

"Keh." He'd never admit it out loud, but he was thankful she'd made it easy. He didn't feel as silly as he imagined he would and the peaceful silence that readily replaced the awkward tension they'd endure before made it worthwhile.

"I think I'm going to take a nap." She told him with a sleepy smile as she lay down and snuggled into her pillow. "Your son has quite the set of lungs, doesn't he?"

"Definitely my kid." He responded with a smirk. "I think I'm going to do the same, at least till he decides it's time to get up again."

"M'kay." She added drowsily. "G'night."

"Night, wench."

_**End of Chapter **_


	4. Chapter 4

The strong scent of the sandalwood incense and the flowery bath water he was currently waist deep in was starting to give him a headache. While Kagome was probably enjoying her smelly ritual soak, he couldn't wait to get out. Since the crack of dawn, he'd been herded around the same way he'd been on his wedding day. The morning had melted away as he made his offerings, repeated chants, went through the appropriate rituals, and was repeatedly submerged in this hell bath.

He had all but given up on paying attention to the priest's words when they finally stopped. "Finally," he muttered.

"Oh, be a sport, will you?" Miroku chimed in from his place next to the tub. "All of this is for the naming ceremony of your kid."

"Keh." He snorted as he dismissed the other inhabitants of the tent with a wave of his hand.

"Think of it this way: you're through with rituals until the ceremony at dusk. You've got the rest of the day to yourself. As long as you don't get yourself dirty, you're free for a few hours."

"Whatever." He grouched. "So what has been going on all week? All I've heard has to do with the Hissian message."

"Well, the temple will be complete in less than a weeks time." The monk informed him. "The city can be dedicated anytime after that. Kaede will probably talk to you soon."

"About damn time. I'm getting tired of these fucking tents. So damn noisy all the time."

"I imagined you'd say something like that." The monk quipped with a smile. "Anyways, it'll be over with soon. Once the dedication is complete, the royal household can officially move into the city."

"Keh." Inuyasha huffed. "It's a stupid tradition anyways." He'd always hated the pomp and regulation that came with being king. For fuck's sake, he'd grown up on his own, foraging to get by, until Sessomaru finally managed to catch him and "rescue" him by taking him into the court and preparing him to take over the territories he was heir to. He honestly didn't give a fuck about rituals and court flowery; only the need for the council's support made him put up with it.

"Old man Yamakawa died two days ago." Miroku continued, sidestepping the issue of his complete lack of respect for tradition.

"Who?"

"Old man Yamakawa? Yamakawa Satoshi? The head of the Yamakawa clan and one of the council member?" Inuyasha's blank stare quickly confirmed he wasn't ringing any bells. With a sigh and a shake of his head, he spoke again. "Honestly Inuyasha, sometimes you're just too much."

"Why? Cause I don't know all of the council members?" Inuyasha snorted sarcastically. "Honestly monk, the old coots are constantly dying and being replaced by other equally old coots. All they do is bicker amongst themselves, talk about crap, and die. Why would I bother?"

"Because you need their support." Miroku told him firmly.

"Actually, I don't." Inuyasha bit back irreverently. "Come now, monk, you're a smart man. You know the council is outdated and virtually powerless in reality. I just keep them around to keep the people happy, but if I decided to do away with the whole thing we both know they'd be powerless to do anything about it."

"The council is the upholder of tradition, Inuyasha." Miroku continued solemnly. "They're an important part of our hist- ,"

"Blah blah blah, I get it monk." Inuyasha interrupted. "Don't get all worked up about it, I'm not getting rid of the old bats."

The monk sighed dramatically but decided to let the conversation die, knowing his friend would never change his unruly opinions. "So, did Kagome tell you what she wants to name your baby?"

"Nope."

"And you're not the least bit curious to know?"

"Keh, of course I am. I'm just not worrying over it. She'll pick something good."

"Oh," Miroku added with surprise, his eyebrows rising as a mischievous smile overtook his features, "and where has this sudden confidence in her abilities come from?"

"Don't push me, monk," Inuyasha warned irritably. "I never said anything about her abilities."

"But you implied something!" Miroku continued, completely unfazed by his companion's bad temper. "Well?"

Seeing the monk would never leave him alone unless he got a satisfactory answer, the hanyou relented. "She…smart, I guess." He said before pausing to consider his next words. "She… she knows a lot about languages, I guess, so I think she'll pick something good; something strong and with meaning."

When Miroku simply gawked at him, he felt the heat rise in his cheeks. "What?" He snapped.

"Nothing, nothing," Miroku replied, quickly coming back to himself and holding both hands up to placate the embarrassed hanyou, "I was just surprised to hear something like that from you."

"Keh," the hanyou scoffed, his cheeks still tinged pink.

"I'm glad you're starting to see things that way."

"Whatever."

Figuring he wasn't going to get any more meaningful speech from the now sullen king, Miroku decided a change of subject was in order. "Sessomaru is here."

"I figured he'd come. When'd he get here?" Inuyasha asked, not seeming the least bit excited to see his brother.

"This morning. You know him, he's not one to linger. I think he'll probably leave as soon as a the ceremony is over."

"Stupid bastard," Inuyasha muttered darkly.

"He brought gifts." Miroku continued, ignoring Inuyasha's comment. "I'm not exactly sure what they are, but I know he has brought some."

"Where's the asshole now?"

"I'm not sure, why?"

"Go find him and have him meet me here." Inuyasha instructed as he finally stood up in the bath and reached for a towel.

Once the monk was gone, Inuyasha began drying and dressing himself slowly, reveling in the silence but still feeling like he was missing something. He realized that he'd been with his son every moment of his life for the past eight days. Today, he'd seen him only briefly in the morning before a group of priests and servants had come to collect him from the birthing tent. It was strange for him to admit that he missed the little bundle already. He missed his scent, the way his face looked when he sucked on his fist, hell, even his cries would have been welcome at this point.

As he tied the knot of his dark blue ceremonial trousers, he realized that in his eight short days of life, his son had become the center of his universe. It was frightening to think one could love a single being so much so quickly, but he couldn't deny it was so. He, the once homeless, fugitive hanyou, was now a king in his own right and the father of a perfect little boy. He couldn't stop the smile that overtook his face at the thought. _His _son.

The sound of footsteps grounded him again and he took care to school his features as his brother, never one for sentimentality, came in, looking exactly as he always had. Everything about him was cold and controlled. His expression, if it could really be called that, was always critical and today was no exception. "Inuyasha," He said by way of greeting.

"So you came, huh?" Inuyasha asked him nonchalantly as he fastened the ties of his white undershirt. The silk, though infinitely softer than the material of his everyday clothing, felt unnatural against his skin. It was the kind of stuff most courtiers wore every day, the kind of clothing Sessomaru had tried to force him into wearing when he'd come into the court, yet he'd never gotten used to it, much preferring the coarse softness of his usual cotton undershirt.

"Obviously." Sessomaru answered him flatly. "It's my nephew's name ceremony therefore I am obliged to attend."

"Kagome'll be happy to see you."

"Hn."

"I'm afraid she'll name our kid after you." Inuyasha scoffed, knowing she'd never do that but trying to make some sort of small talk with his brother to pass the time.

"She would do no such thing."

"Why? Is a hanyou not worthy enough to bear your noble name?" Inuyasha sneered back, having taken offense to his brother's comment.

"I said nothing of the sort." The taiyoukai replied. "She would not give him my name because she knows it would displease you."

"Keh." Inuyasha conceded. In all honesty, it had been a long time since his brother had made jabs at his mixed blood, yet Inuyasha couldn't shake the feeling that he was constantly judging him based on it.

"I sincerely hope your wife is up to the task of raising this child, because you, brother, are little more than a child yourself and will probably be of little use."

"Keh. Whatever asshole." Inuyasha scoffed, knowing Sessomaru did it more to bother him than anything else. "At least I have a wife and kid, which is more than you can say. What ever happened with that one girl, the general's daughter?"

"Other than being of impeccable lineage, she was completely inadequate in every way."

"Was she ugly?" Inuyasha asked him bluntly.

Sessomaru gave him a dry look. "I won't even dignify such a trivial question with an answer."

Inuyasha chucked at that. "Whatever. It's probably best you didn't marry her anyways. Spared the poor girl the hell of being your wife."

"Painfully ironic coming from you." Sessomaru rebuked. "Enough of this, I have something important to inform you of."

"What?"

"The Bassanid territories are now yours." The taiyoukai said. "Our father established that they should go to the first of us to sire a child and that is you."

"And you're just going to hand them over to me?" Inuyasha asked him skeptically.

"Our father was very clear."

"Keh." Inuyasha scoffed with a shrug. "Your own damn fault if you ask me."

"I do not see what you mean."

"You're the one who made me get married. You had to have known I'd probably have kids before you, right?"

"Actually, I was under the impression hanyou were sterile." Sessomaru answered flatly.

"You're joking, right?" Inuyasha asked him disbelievingly.

"Now why would I do such a thing?" The taiyoukai answered with a nearly imperceptible smirk.

"Whatever. Obviously, I'm not."

"Perhaps I should see the child to ascertain he really is yours." Now Inuyasha knew his brother was joking in his own peculiar way.

"Whatever. He's definitely mine. Kid's got a set of lungs on him that couldn't possibly be anyone else's."

"How fitting." Sessomaru remarked. "In any case, control over the Bassanids will be ceded to your closest provincial general next month, so make sure to inform him."

"I'll have Miroku send an envoy." Inuyasha assured him as he slipped on the matching outer robe and fastened it at his waist, once again feeling uncomfortable in the lavish ceremonial gear he seldom wore. His father's crest, a profile of a prowling, white dog under a pale crescent moon and the inscription _"Courage. Fidelity. Integrity."_ embroidered over the left side of his chest, suddenly made him feel very inadequate.

He shook off the feeling quickly. "Anyways, thanks."

"Don't. I am merely obeying our father's wishes."

"Fine. Fuck you then." Inuyasha bit back with a roll of his eyes.

"In any case," Sessomaru continued, "I shall take my leave until the ceremony begins." He didn't wait to be dismissed by Inuyasha, instead simply turning around and exiting the way he'd come.

Once he was sure Sessomaru was gone, Inuyasha flung himself down on the pile of soft cushions and made himself comfortable for the time that remained until the ceremony began. It was warm and comfortable, perfect napping conditions he thought with a yawn. "Damn, I'm gettin' lazy." He muttered to himself as he settled down for a little nap.

* * *

The face of the god king was solemn as it looked down at the hanyou king before him. Inuyasha studied the perfect, angular planes of the marble face he was supposed to worship and felt a small pang of guilt at not genuinely doing so. Sure, he didn't deny the existence of some form of "higher power", but somehow he couldn't bring himself to believe that the stories told of the mighty gods before him were anything more than myths.

Standing on the raised platform of the altar, the colossal statue of the bearded god king towered above the small gathering of humans present. The handsome king sat regally on his mammoth throne, one hand on the armrest and the other clutching the Staff of Ages. Flanking him on either side, the rest of the gods of the celestial court also looked out at the vast open space of the temple.

"She is coming." He heard Kaede whisper to him from her place at the foot of the altar. Inuyasha turned away from the serious gods and looked towards the open doors. Kagome, dressed in pristine ceremonial robes the same color as his and bearing his crest in the same place, walked slowly towards them with their son in her arms. A nearly transparent, silver veil was pinned over her loose midnight hair with gleaming silver pins that shone in the sunlight and created a halo around her that made her look almost as unearthly as the gods behind them.

From his place before Kaede, Inuyasha watched as she proceeded down the center of the open temple hall towards the small entourage waiting before the newly erected statues of the gods. The smile she offered him was small, almost shy, as she came to stand on his right hand side, separated by the small ceramic hearth that would keep the fire they would soon light. Once again facing the altar and Kaede before it, everyone waited silently for the ceremony to begin.

"By the grace of the mighty gods in the heavens, on this day our prince, blessed child of fortune, first child of our noble majesties, will receive his name." Kaede began sagely in a voice that told of her many experiences with such things. "Be seated." She commanded, motioning those present to take their places on the sitting cushions laid out for them behind the parents.

"In the beginning of time, when only the god king and his queen roamed his creation, they knew each other only by words of affection; 'My sweet one' he called her and she him 'dear husband'. The lived in bliss and reigned over his perfect creation together. Then, the good queen bore a son; a boy so wise, he was born knowing all the secrets of the earth. The god king wept tears of joy and said, 'O my perfect son, to you I give this earth I made and a name to keep as your own for all of time. You shall be called Zagreus'. The sage boy spoke to his parents then and said 'Righteous father, gentle mother, you too must have names that I might utter to mine own children when recounting your greatness in time to come.'"

"And so the king gave his queen the name Daera and himself the name Gerad and they reigned over his perfect creation together with their son. In short time, a daughter was born and she was more beautiful than anything her father had created and so he gave her the name Aera. Nine sons and nine daughters followed her and all were given righteous names by their noble father and so they reigned over his perfect creation."

"Then Gerad created man and woman and he said to them 'O man, my final craft, go onto the earth and live plentifully. Have sons and daughters and to them give honorable names as I have given mine own children and shall give to you. Go forth on the earth and bring honor to the names I give you. You, man, shall be called Zelus, and you, woman, shall be called Direce.' And so he sent them forth onto the earth."

"Today," Kaede continued, "our own king and his queen give their child a name in the same way the king of the gods and his queen gave names to their children." She made a brief pause and reached for the two pieces of flint beside her. "By the light of the sacred fire," she uttered as she struck the flint together and cast a shower of sparks onto the oil filled bowl of the hearth, "it shall be so. What mother brings forth this child to be named?"

"I, Higurashi Kagome, daughter of Higurashi Akira and Higurashi Hanae, queen of Simera." Kagome answered, her voice soft but firm as she spoke before the gods.

"And what father?"

"I, Inuyasha of the Western House, son of the great Inutashio of the Western House and Narita Izayoi, king of Simera." He replied with the words Miroku had supplied him earlier.

"Come now, and present your son before the almighty gods."

Carefully cradling his head in one hand and his bottom in the other, Kagome raised the baby before her and nodded to him to place his hands atop hers and bring the baby over the low flame. He could feel her discomfort at having to hold their infant over the fire, but they both knew he was in no real danger with him there, so he gave her hand a small squeeze

"What name do you give this child?"

"Taiyomaru." Kagome responded, her eyes fixed on his as she spoke. For a moment, he just sat and took the new information in, imagining what his son's name would sound when he said it. Taiyomaru. He smiled at the thought. It was perfect.

"Almighty gods, hear the pleas of these dutiful parents and take this child, given the name Taiyomaru, under your protective wing. Guard him from harm and guide him on the path of righteousness. Open his mind, nourish his spirit, and strengthen his body, that he might bring honor to his mother and his father. Hear us, O gracious gods, and continue to grant us bounty and wisdom to continue to honor you all of our days."

Gently, he moved his hands away and let Kagome take his son, Taiyomaru, into her arms again. "Here all, witnesses of this naming ceremony," Kaede continued, "you have seen the proceedings and can attest, before any man or woman, that our prince has been named in accordance with our laws. Does anyone raise any objections?"

Turning around to look over the small, silent crowd, Inuyasha actually took note of who was present. Sessomaru and Miroku sat several paces behind him and to his left. Dara, an old nurse that had served his family for most of her many years, and another, younger woman he didn't recognize sat behind Kagome. Sema Tadio, the oldest member and head of the council, was also present, along with two younger men Inuyasha didn't know. "If there are no objections, then all are free to go. Congratulations, your majesties."

"Thank you, Kaede," Kagome said with a gentle smile as she moved to rise from her seat with Taiyomaru in her arms. Her eyes moved from the old priestess to Inuyasha and she smiled at him too. "We'll see you soon." She told him as she moved to leave with the other women before the public celebrations began.

* * *

When Inuyasha emerged from the temple later that evening, now dressed in a different set of fine, pearlescent white robes secured by a crimson belt the same color as his crest, he could scarcely believe the size of the crowd that had gathered in the main city square. The city hadn't even been consecrated yet, and already it seemed as though at least a hundred thousand people had taken up residence within its walls. When he and the rest of the royal household had arrived and settled in the temporary encampment between the 60-foot-high fortified outer wall and the smaller inner wall a fortnight ago, barely a thousand people had settled in the still incomplete city, most of whom were part of the construction effort.

Now, about a week shy of the laying of the final temple stone and the official consecration of the city to its patron, it looked to Inuyasha like most of the work had been completed and many more people had come to live here. To celebrate the naming of the new prince, they had taken to the main square, dressed in their finest clothes, some bearing gifts they hoped to be able to present in person. As Inuyasha emerged from the main door of the temple, the crowd erupted into a deafening storm of cheers and allowed itself to be parted by the royal guard as it formed a path for him. He made his way towards the dais at the other end of the square and was surprised at the general feeling of euphoria that seemed to grip all the people present.

He knew naming ceremonies were important, especially those of royal children, but he'd imagined the celebration to be superficial, frivolous displays of lukewarm excitement, not the kind of citywide phenomenon he was now seeing. People on either sides of him congratulated him heartily, some even with tears in their eyes. His nose told him these displays were genuine; that people truly were beside themselves with joy at the birth of their prince and frankly, Inuyasha didn't know what to make of the information. He walked quickly and took his seat on the dais, relieved to be out of the middle of the euphoric crowd.

"That was weird," he muttered to Miroku, who stood to his left.

"What was?"

"These people," Inuyasha responded, trying his best to keep his features schooled and not give away his discomfort to the people. "They're so damn… excited."

He heard Miroku chuckle before speaking. "What exactly did you expect?"

"I dunno exactly, but I certainly didn't expect to see all of these humans practically shitting their pants over the birth of their half-breed prince."

"A prince isn't born every day, Inuyasha. Most of the people here are human and have accepted your position as king, hanyou or no. To them, you're just their king and Taiyomaru is their prince. Your mixed heritage isn't as big of a deal to them as it is to the demon community. You keep them safe and don't tax the life out of them, so of course they love you."

"Keh. It's still weird."

"You're just too sensitive."

"I could have you hanged for that."

"I know," Miroku replied in a tone of voice that told Inuyasha he was smiling, "but you won't."

"Whatever idiot."

"Ah, My King! Your noble queen is a' coming!" Miroku teased dramatically as he gestured towards the temple entrance. Sure enough, still standing on the highest step with the young prince in her arms was Kagome. As he watched her slowly descend the temple staircase with the train of her robes trailing behind her, Inuyasha couldn't deny that she was an absolute vision. Her golden robes were so magnificent, the color so unusual, that it looked as though it had actually been spun from pure gold. The red of her belt and crest was exactly the same as his own, as well as that of the blanket the infant prince was wrapped it. "Pick your jaw up, my king, there are people watching."

Miroku's teasing whisper snapped Inuyasha back to reality. He quickly shut his slightly agape mouth and schooled his features, trying valiantly to contain the blush he was sure had crept into his face. "Fucker."

"You wound me. Besides, it's no shame to find your lovely wife lovely. Just don't gape like that."

"I wasn't gaping."

"Fooled me."

Their back and forth was short this time as Kagome got closer to the dais. He saw the intricate way her hair had been gathered at her nape and the few loose tendrils that had been left to frame her face, leaving the elegant curve of her neck bare. As he looked at her, he wondered how he'd managed to be married to her for three years and never noticed that she was, in fact, very beautiful. The overwhelming need to touch her, to feel her soft skin against his own, suddenly consumed him and before he had even given the notion conscious thought, he found himself rising from his seat and stepping down the dais stairs to meet her as she arrived at the foot of them.

He could tell from the look in her eyes and the slightly confused smile she gave him that she hadn't been expecting him to come down for her. When he offered her his hand, she hesitated for a moment before shifting Taiyomaru into one arm and accepting his hand. Behind them, the crowd exploded into loud cheers at the public display. She smiled at him shyly before he led her up the steps and to her seat to the right of his. "Thank you." She told him softly, her eyes full of some emotion he couldn't define. They were intensely blue, even more prominently so now because of her golden robes, and he found he couldn't hold her gaze for long.

Taking his seat to her left, he looked over the crowd to avoid her gaze as he realized what he'd just done. What the fuck was wrong with him? All of a sudden she looks beautiful, devastatingly so, and he loses his head. I shouldn't have done that, he though to himself angrily as he convinced himself that it was just a momentary lapse in his judgment.

Somehow, that explanation didn't seem to sit well with him anymore. He'd been having a lot of "momentary lapses" around his wife recently and it was starting to make him uncomfortable. All the time they'd spent together in the past few days was starting to get to him and make him think and do things he wouldn't otherwise. Somehow, she'd found a way to get under his skin. He hoped it would go away now that they could go back to their normal lives but somehow, he doubted it.

The crowd was still buzzing with excitement as it waited for something to happen. As Inuyasha looked over the packed square, he recognized only a few faces belonging to some of his courtiers, the rest either being newcomers or strangers. It occurred to him how strange being king made life. Every single person in his kingdom knew him; they knew about his lineage, his successes in battle, and essentially everything else about his public persona yet he knew only a handful of them personally. To them, he was a singular, central figure. To him, most of them were just faceless members of a mob he was charged with ruling and protecting.

He continued to scan the crowd until his eyes met with the central feature of the square. An enormous marble statue, like the ones in the temple, rose out from the very center of the square. The sun god, Zarion, and his sister, the moon goddess Ziena, stood together on a pedestal and looked out towards different parts of the square. The back of the sun god faced him now as he looked towards the entrance to the temple. The moon goddess, however, looked directly in the direction of the dais and, behind it, the royal palace. While many considered the moon goddess to be beautiful, an ethereal virgin that ruled the skies by night, as Inuyasha looked into her marble face, he could see no beauty. She was the one responsible for his time of weakness. Her patronage of the city didn't change the fact that, of all the gods, he liked her the least.

He glared at her for a few more moments before realizing that the crowd had begin to quiet. From behind him, Miroku stepped forward and looked to Inuyasha, waiting to be acknowledged. Inuyasha felt like rolling his eyes at the formality but managed to contain himself and instead gave a curt nod in Miroku's direction, giving him permission to speak. "Your Majesties," the monk began, "let me be the first to congratulate you on the birth of your healthy son, The Prince Taiyomaru." He paused as the crowd once again burst into a sea of cheers and claps. "I was going to make the speech tonight, but another member of the court asked me to allow him the honors, so now I present to you Lord Tomoaki Mori, head of the Mori clan, who would like to say a few words."

From the crowd, a small old man emerged and approached the steps of the dais. Bowing deeply, Tomaki Mori, dressed in fine but simple black and gold robes, spoke. "Majesties," he said in a voice that immediately told of his long life and wisdom, "what a happy day!" He exclaimed with a toothy grin that surprised everyone around him. It wasn't proper for the nobility to show much emotion when in public, yet this man smiled broadly and spoke with no reservations. "I heartily congratulate you on the birth of your boy. May he live a thousand years and rule as wisely as his noble father!"

Looking directly into Inuyasha's eyes, the old man spoke again. "My king, I am a very old man. I have seen many kings and princes in my day and I can say with absolute certainty that you have been the very best." Inuyasha would have scoffed at the old man had his eyes not been so earnest. "You are a good king because you are a good man. You don't play games and are firm and fair and for that, I hold you in very high esteem. You have shown yourself to be a man of few words, so I will not give a very long speech in your honor. I hope it will suffice to say that this old man is proud to have lived during your reign and is thankful for the stability and security you have brought to these once troubled lands."

As he finished and the crowd began to clap, Lord Mori held Inuyasha's gaze for a few more moments. To say the king was shocked at his words would have been an understatement. He'd never been spoken so highly of by someone he had never personally met. Another of the oddities that came along with being king, he supposed, as he nodded in Mori's direction as his way of thanking him.

The old man gave him a small smile before turning to look at Kagome. "Ah, My Queen," he said gently, "I'm afraid words will not suffice to honor you. Never has a kinder or nobler queen lived! Fortunate is your son that he has you for a mother. May he grow strong and wise and bring you much happiness. May you live many years, my queen, and may the gods see fit to bless you with many more children!"

At the end of his speech, the crowd surged once again and the night air was full of boisterous cheers and claps. In the distance, drums began playing and in the center of the square, a ring of fire was lit around the base of the statue of the patron gods. As the people gathered moved towards the perimeter of the square to sit at the long banquet tables that had been set out, a row of dancing girls entered the square and began to entertain the patrons. Mountains of food were brought out and people immediately began to feast upon them, drinking barrels of wine and toasting loudly to the health of the king, queen, and prince.

Once all eyes were no longer on them, Inuyasha felt the awkwardness creep between him and Kagome as they sat silently on the dais. He didn't know what to say to her, but he figured he couldn't exactly ignore her all night in front of the entire city. "Are you hungry?" He asked lamely, finally turning around once more to look at her.

"No, not really," she answered him with a smile, "he will be soon though." She added with a shrugging motion that drew his attention to the still sleeping infant in her arms.

When his eyes fell to the bundle in her arms, he froze. Earlier, he'd noted the color of his blanket was red, but until now, he hadn't realized exactly what it was. "Is this…?"

"Fire rat." She answered his incredulous question with a smile. "I had it made when I found out I was pregnant. I knew yours was important to you, that it protected you when you where young, and I wanted our child to have one too."

Her soft words stunned him. He reached out to touch his son's blanket and had to blink back the few hot tears that gathered in his eyes at the feel of it. It was exactly like his, like the one he'd had since he was an infant. The material under his fingertips was the same as the one his mother had wrapped him in on the day of his own naming ceremony. It was the only thing he left with on the night she was killed. For more than ten years, it was all that kept him warm and safe.

Inuyasha looked up into her eyes and once again saw that mysterious emotion within them. As he searched her pretty azure eyes, he saw a sincerity he'd never known before. She truly knew what this meant to him and had had a robe of the fire rat made for their child. "Why?" He asked her in a hushed, breathless whisper.

She looked away from him then as a blush crept onto her cheeks. She took a moment to respond, her eyes glued to the infant she held as though he could give her the proper words she was looking for, before looking up at him again. "I… I know that because of all of the conflicts with the Hissians, you might be away from home a lot. I understand that it's your duty to go, but it also makes me sad to think he'll be away from you for long periods of time. I… I just wanted him to have that connection with you, even when you're not here, so that he knows who his father is and how hard he is working to keep this kingdom safe."

When he didn't say anything, she once again averted her eyes. "It's silly, I know, but I -,"

"Thank you." He cut her off, reaching over to rest his hand upon hers on their son's blanket. "Thank you for doing that. I'm glad you did."

The smile she gave him in return was so dazzling he almost forgot to breathe. "This isn't right," he told himself, "you don't love her. Get yourself together." His thoughts continued to race as reasons for his absurd behavior taunted him, but right then, he couldn't bring himself to care.

"I'm glad," he began again with a squeeze to her hand, "I'm glad you're his mother. He'll be very happy." His words were hushed and his voice slightly raspy, but he hoped she understood everything he was trying to say. He knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that she was the best mother he could ever wish for his children. She would give them the home, the affection that he hadn't had, and for that, he was grateful to her.

The stared at each other silently, not needing words to communicate and understand each other then. The moment was broken, however, when the little prince decided he was hungry and let out an ear piercing wail to let everyone know. Hurriedly, Kagome rocked the infant to shush him and looked around for one of her ladies. The young woman from the naming ceremony quickly approached them and helped Kagome out of her seat. "This way, my lady," she instructed quietly as she led Kagome down the back of the dais to a small, violet tent had been erected especially for her to feed the baby when necessary, leaving Inuyasha alone with Miroku on the platform.

The hanyou ran a hand over his face and sighed tiredly. His constant mood swings when it came to Kagome were starting to wear him out and he wished he could just make up his mind as to whether he liked her or not. "Tired?" Came Miroku's voice from beside him.

"You have no idea."

"Don't be so stubborn and you won't be so tired."

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?"

"You know what it means. Don't fight it."

"Don't fight what?" He growled irritably at the riddle-speaking monk. "I don't know what the fuck you're taking about, so either you make it clear or you shut the fuck up."

"Someone's testy tonight."

"I'm warning you, shit face." Inuyasha leered dangerously. "Not another word."

Whether he'd actually managed to intimidate the smug monk or whether Miroku had simply taken pity upon him and decided not to taunt him any further, Inuyasha didn't know, but he was thankful for the silence that once again descended over the dais. He was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to find his way to his bed and sleep for a whole day.

He stared blankly at the crowd and watched the merrymaking with detachment. They'd probably be here, drinking and being loud the entire night and then tomorrow, the city would probably be relatively silent as everyone slept off the copious amounts of alcohol the royal family had provided for the night. From the corner of his eye, Inuyasha saw Kagome come back and take her seat once again. He glanced over at her and noticed that she too looked tired. During their time in the tent, he'd figured out that feeding Taiyomaru drained her and usually left her needing a nap. She probably wouldn't be up for sitting here much longer, so when she finally decided to take her leave, he'd go with her and they'd both escape.

His brother, who had previously been standing off to the side, watching the proceedings silently, approached them then. "I have some things for you."

Kagome smiled at him happily. "You didn't need to do that, Sessomaru," she said. Her use of only his given name had never ceased to amaze Inuyasha. Usually his brother would gut anyone who dared address him so casually, yet Kagome always seemed to get away with him.

"Of course I didn't have to," he said smugly, "but I chose to." He reached into the pocket on the inside of his belt and pulled out two small objects. Handing a small, flat box to Kagome, he waited for her to open it before speaking.

Rearranging Taiyomaru in her arms, Kagome accepted the gift and opened it gently. Inuyasha saw the way her eyes widened at the contents, but because of the way the baby rested in her arms, he couldn't actually see what the box held. "Sessomaru…" She breathed as she looked up at the taiyoukai.

"It has been in our family for many generations. I thought this a fitting occasion to gift it to you." He answered her plainly. "It has always belonged to the mother of the first boy in the family."

Turning her eyes to Inuyasha, she shifted the baby again and showed him what the little flat box contained. On a bed of dark velvet rested a magnificent necklace. The chain consisted of a series of small diamonds connected by golden links. The centerpiece was an impressive, teardrop stone the color of a perfect sunset surrounded by another row of small diamonds. The stones shone impossibly brightly, even in the relative dimness that surrounded them. Inuyasha knew that in daylight, it would probably rival the sun. "It's beautiful, Sessomaru, thank you." She told the demon sincerely.

Sessomaru merely nodded in response before handing her another small parcel, this one shapeless and wrapped in a piece of red fabric. She took it and gently unraveled the small parcel until the fabric fell away and revealed a silver object the size of her palm. Inuyasha shifted to get a better look at it and when he saw the details of the figure, his eyes snapped to his brothers. "It's our family crest. It's for your son. Someday, when he's old enough to have a sword of his own, it will it on the scabbard."

The silver crescent moon, dog, and inscription were perfectly represented in the gleaming silver medallion. Two small rubies marked the dog's eyes and twinkled in the firelight. Inuyasha looked at his brother silently, unsure of what to say.

"He is a member of my family and will be properly identified as such." The taiyoukai said stoically. "I will retire for the night and be gone at first light. Enjoy your evening." He added before turning on his heel and walking away without waiting for the stunned king and queen to say anything in regards to the medallion.

Inuyasha looked over at Kagome and saw the shock in her eyes. They both knew it was a very symbolic gesture for Sessomaru to bring such a gift for their son and weren't sure how exactly to respond. Fortunately for them, more people quickly came by to take up their attention.

As some of the members of the noble families finished their meals and began to get ready to depart for their private parties away from the common folk that would linger in the square, some people began to approach the dais to offer their personal congratulations and blessings for the family. Dozens of noble women and a few men came up to Kagome and though none asked to hold the young prince, knowing the king probably wouldn't appreciate that, most asked permission to touch his forehead to give their blessing. They cooed and blessed the infant before bowing once again to the king and queen and departing.

The procession of well-wishers seemed to be never-ending. Eventually, Inuyasha stopped paying attention to them since they weren't there to see him. He sat there idly, seeing them come and go out of the corner of his eye, until one familiar face grabbed his attention once again.

Kikyou stood at the top of the dais steps, dressed in a set of absolutely luxurious violet robes, waiting for the crowd to clear for her to approach the queen. Inuyasha felt the blood in his veins run cold as Kikyou moved to approach them with a pleasant, yet unnatural, expression on her pale face. Looking over at Kagome, he saw her expression had gone rigid as she looked directly at the woman as she stepped closer sporting robes the color of royalty. Looking back at Kikyou, he tried to warn her with his eyes not to do anything stupid, but she completely ignored him, her eyes focused solely on his wife. "Your majesties," she began in an overtly sugary tone, "I am overjoyed at hearing the news of your new son."

Inuyasha heard her words and felt the sounded absolutely wrong coming from her. She was fucking crazy to come up here and make a spectacle of them. As she stood professing her joy at the birth of his son, Inuyasha could feel every eye in the square glued onto this scene. When she approached Kagome to touch the baby in her arms, Inuyasha was sure Kagome would pull away, and was surprised when she merely clenched her jaw tightly and bore it stoically. "Ah, look at him!" She said gaily, "Exactly like his father!"

Inuyasha cringed at her words and at the way Kagome stiffened even more at them. While just a few hours ago he doubted the existence of the gods, now he was convinced they existed only to punish him. Kikyou lingered a while longer and continued to gush over the baby, who fussed whenever she'd reach for him, until Inuyasha was convinced she was only doing it to taunt Kagome. Her robes, her words, even her mere presence was making her uncomfortable and the smile on Kikyou's face instantly gave her intentions away. With one final glance in Inuyasha's direction, she grinned at him triumphantly, before finally taking her leave.

"Kagome," Inuyasha began as he watched her expressionless face.

"Don't." She commanded softly in a voice harder than stone. She turned her eyes to him and he saw some of the tension leave her as she offered him a small smile. "It's alright. She didn't do anything wrong."

Deciding it was best not to push the issue, Inuyasha once again fell silent and allowed the procession to continue. The line gradually grew shorter and he thought it might be time for them to make their escape soon. When the last lord finally walked off the dais, he reached over and took her hand. "Let's go," he whispered.

She nodded silently and stood with him. As they made their way towards the side of the dais closest to their encampment, a loud cry halted them in their path before they could take more than a few steps. "My queen, wait!"

The turned around and saw a woman being held back from stepping onto the dais. Her ragged clothing and haggard appearance clearly identified her as someone of the lowest classes of society, certainly not fit to address the royal family in such a manner. "Please, my queen, I beg you! Just a moment of your time." She called out desperately, her dirty face streaked with tears.

Inuyasha looked at Kagome to see what she was planning on doing but she didn't meet his eyes, instead motioning for the guards to let the woman pass. Quickly, she climbed up the steps and came to stand before them. She bowed deeply as she spoke. "Oh gracious queen, please," she cried as she looked up at them with luminous dark eyes, "please help this poor woman."

"What is it you need?" Kagome asked.

"Oh my queen, you're a mother now and you know a mother would do anything for her children. My boy, my only remaining family member, is dying, my queen, and I've sold everything we owned to pay for his care but now we have nothing. The money is gone and I have nothing left to sell. He has been getting better lately, but if he doesn't get his medicine, he will surely die. Please," she begged again as she collapsed onto her knees before them, "please, my queen, help me. I am desperate and I don't know where else to turn. I can't bear to go on living should he die." She finished in a whisper as she gave into her tears.

Inuyasha saw the look in Kagome's eyes and immediately knew she would not turn the woman away. She turned to him and handed over the baby before facing the woman again. "Of course I'll help you," she said gently as she reached down to help the woman off her knees, "you don't need to do that." She told her as she helped her back onto her feet. The woman was an absolute mess, making it hard to tell anything about her other than she had black hair and dark eyes. "Now tell me, where is your family?"

"Oh, my lady, gone! Gone! My husband was killed in the war and my other children were killed in the Hissian raids. We used to live in the countryside near the borderlands. They came in the night and killed my oldest son." The woman sobbed, barely able to stand on her own two feet as she recounted the story. "They took my girls, all three of them, and raped them right before my eyes! And then they killed them!"

"You poor woman." Kagome whispered as she led her to a chair near the side of the dais. "Please, sit." She turned and motioned for a servant to bring water as she tried to calm the crying woman.

"Oh my queen, my son is all I have left! When I lost my other children, knowing that another was growing in my womb was all that kept me alive. He is all I have."

"Hush," Kagome soothed, "we won't let that happen. We'll pay for his treatment and help you replace all you had to sell to support him. Please, don't worry any more, everything will be taken care of."

The already crying woman was overcome with emotion as she searched Kagome's face for any sign of dishonesty. Inuyasha watched silently as a fresh wave of tears came to her eyes as she slid from her chair to kneel before Kagome once again. "Thank you." She cried as she crouched low enough to touch her forehead to the ground. "Oh, thank you, your majesty!"

"Please, you don't need to do that." Kagome repeated as she reached for the prostrate woman once again and helped her to her feet again.

The woman looked at her as though she was sure she was dreaming. From her reaction, Inuyasha figured she expected to be turned away rather than actually having her pleas answered. Her haunted eyes were wide and shining as she stared at the queen who was holding her up, helping her stand despite her filthy condition. "Thank you," she whispered again. "I don't know what else to say."

Kagome smiled at her and motioned for one of her servants to come help the woman away. "I could never turn away someone in need and, as you said, I am a mother now, so how could I deny you when you plead for the life of your child?"

The young woman from earlier came and started to lead the haggard lady away, but not before she spoke to Kagome once more. "I hope you never have to endure losing a child, my queen, and that you are always blessed for you goodness."

As she disappeared down the steps of the dais, Kagome called for Miroku. "Make sure she's taken care of. Find out what her son's medicines cost and give her enough for a year's worth of them. Also, I want you to give her 500 gold drams so she can get back on her feet. Take down her name should she need to come back. You can take the money from my private accounts." She instructed, making reference to the personal wealth she had accumulated since Sessomaru had given her the tax revenues for the cities of Pula and Solin as a wedding gift.

"Of course." Miroku assented quickly before bowing to them and heading off in the direction the two women had left, leaving Inuyasha and Kagome on the dais.

"Lets go." She told him as she moved to take Taiyomaru back. When he didn't move to leave, she looked back up into his face. "What?" She asked him with a small smile.

Inuyasha simply looked at her for a few moments. As he searched her slightly confused face, nothing indicated to him that she knew the magnitude of what she had just done for that woman. Could she really be so generous that she didn't realize how much she'd just promised this woman? 500 gold drams was a small fortune that would probably last the woman the rest of her life. She had just saved two lives, given away her own money, and did so without even having to think twice.

"Inuyasha?" She asked him unsurely.

Breaking out of his stupor, he offered her his hand, which she took, and led her away silently. Maybe he didn't know her as much as he though he did.

_**End of Chapter**_

I'm really excited to finally have this chapter out! I feel like this is really where the action starts to develop and I'm really looking forward to working on the next few chapters. Thank you to everyone who has reviewed so far! You have all been a great motivation for me to continue writing and push through my little bouts of writer's block. I've decided to try something new and am going to be including some **Bonus Points** at the end of each chapter for anyone interested in trying to figure them out. Thanks again for all of your wonderful support and see you soon!

**Fun Fact:** Taiyomaru comes from the name _"Taiyo"_ and the suffix _"-maru"._ Together, the name roughly translates to "Perfect Sun".

**Bonus Points:**

1. The given to the first son of the gods, Zagreus, pops up in mythology. Who was he and who was his father?

2. Zelus is also a name that pops up in real mythology. What does it mean and why do you think Gerad chose to name the first man this?

3. The dram is the currency of what country?

4. Pula and Solin are cities in which country?

**Good Luck!**


	5. Chapter 5

"_Inuyasha…"_

_The sound of her smooth voice hypnotized him as he heard it. He couldn't see her, but he could feel her standing right behind him. One finger danced down the curve of his spine, causing shivers to course through his body._

"_Inuyasha…"_

_He could feel the warmth of her breath on his neck as her hands came to rest on his shoulders for a moment before sliding doing and tracing over his arms. Her touch was magnetizing, her voice bewitching. He felt her lithe body press up against his back as her hands began to ghost over his throat, then his chest and abdomen before stopping teasingly just below his navel._

"_Inuyasha… look at me."_

_He could hear her command, but couldn't bring himself to obey her and open his eyes, afraid that the spell would be broken once he wasn't simply feeling her. "No…"_

_Then she was in front of him, pressing against him more firmly than before. "Don't be like that," she cooed. He felt her breath fan over his Adam's apple before her lips were on him, kissing, licking, and lightly biting her way to all the right spots on his neck as her hands boldly sunk under his shirt to tease his bare chest. She knew just how to touch him, just where to kiss him. "Look at me…" She murmured again, "Do it."_

_She was maddening, driving him to obey with her hypnotic siren's song. He couldn't resist her, not anymore, not when she was touching him like that._

_But when he finally opened his eyes, she was gone and he was alone on his balcony overlooking the city. The only thing touching him was the soft, if slightly cold, breeze that moved in the night. Where had she gone?_

_Suddenly, he was no longer on his balcony. Instead, he stood on another balcony he recognized to be Kagome's. Though the screens were open, the interior of her bedroom remained shrouded in complete darkness._

_He moved towards the entrance of the bedroom, hoping to see her. As he got closer, the outline of her peaceful form began to materialize before his eyes. Laying on her back under the thin summer bed linens, he could plainly see the growing swell of her belly and the way one of her hands rested protectively over it, even in sleep._

_But when he finally got close enough to see the details of the scene, his eyes widened and he staggered back a few steps as he struggled to comprehend what he was seeing. Blood, dark and viscous, was everywhere. It soaked the bed and steadily dripped onto the floor forming macabre, sickening pools._

_He didn't remember moving, but suddenly he was beside her, staring down into her pale face as he shook her in the hopes of achieving some sort of response. _

_None came. _

_No heartbeat, no movement, nothing but the sound of blood continuing to flow thundering in his ears. "Oh Gods," he heard himself say as he sunk down into his knees upon the stained bedding, still holding her limp form as one of his hands desperately reached down to her belly, hoping to feel something, anything, from the little child inside. But nothing came. No kick, no movement. They were both dead._

* * *

He awoke with a start, his own heartbeat thundering in his ears. Running his hand down his face as he struggled to calm his racing heart and frenzied breathing, Inuyasha tried in vain to recall the nightmare. Other than that he had been standing on a balcony at some point, he could remember nothing. He took a deep, steadying breath, flung the tangled mess of sheets off and headed for the line of sliding screens that separated the interior of his bedroom from his expansive balcony.

He pushed aside the ornate screens and allowed the slight chill of the summer night. Stepping onto the cool marble of the balcony and heading over to the lavish railing, he relished in the feeling of the breeze cooling his naked flesh. It was still more than an hour before the sunrise, so knowing he wouldn't be able to fall back asleep, Inuyasha stepped away from the railing and flopped down on one of the reclining couches. He searched the stars idly and tried to concentrate on not thinking. Just because he couldn't sleep didn't mean he couldn't rest and relax.

He sat there lazily, just looking up at the sky, until he noticed the sounds of the city starting to come back to life. The eastern horizon was barely starting to lighten, but he was already beginning to smell the aroma of breakfasts being prepared and the sounds of people milling around and opening their shops. The day was officially starting.

Today marked exactly three fortnights since the city has been officially consecrated and nearly three months since his son was born. When the final piece of the temple had been laid and the proper ceremonies observed, he and the rest of the royal household had moved into the expansive palace that sat atop the highest hill in the city. The spacious building housed nearly a thousand people, from servants to nobles, and was modeled after his old home in the Western Lands. His quarters occupied the highest section of the building and had the best view in the entire city. From his balcony, he could see the whole city before him, the rise of its impenetrable walls, and the mountains in the distance.

As the city came awake so too did his thoughts. His pleasantly empty mind began to fill with thoughts of everything that was to happen that day, effectively ruining his good mood. In a few hours time, he and Kagome would be officially mated. Their blood sharing ritual was scheduled for just after noon and was to be witnessed by representatives of every major clan in the country. The rest of the day would be filled with meaningless pageantry he had no plans of attending.

The real issue, however, was what was expected to come after the official, public ceremony. To complete the mating ritual, he and Kagome would have to sleep together, something he was not particularly looking forward to. Sex with other women was one thing, but sex with Kagome was completely different in his mind. The only time they'd been together, it had been a forced and unpleasant experience. There was no passion, no fire, no desire in either of them. Being together was just another duty that needed to be fulfilled. Inuyasha couldn't suppress the groan the escaped him at the thought of the upcoming encounter, sure that it would be no different than the first time if he didn't at least try a little harder. She was his wife, so he might as well start to get used to having sex with her.

* * *

He was nervous. As he sat once again before the towering statues in the temple, he could admit, at least to himself, that he was very, very nervous. Of what, he wasn't sure, but the anxiety and uncertainty churning in his gut was starting to make him feel a little sick. He wiped his sweaty palms on the rich fabric of his trousers and tried his best not to seem bothered.

"Nervous, Inuyasha?" Kaede asked him with a small smile from her place to his left. She sat with her back to the altar dressed in a finer, more ceremonial set of her traditional robes. The fact that she'd seen through him didn't really surprise him, her single eye keener than most full demons'.

"No." He insisted, knowing she'd see it for what it was: a poor bluff.

She chuckled. "It's alright. Perfectly normal for you to be so. Today is a big day for you both after all."

"Keh. Whatever. We're already married so it can't be that different." He lied.

"You're wrong." She said, her face suddenly serious. "I don't think you understand the magnitude of what is about to happen."

In her dark eye, Inuyasha could see she wanted to say more, but the sound of drums beginning to beat rhythmically halted the conversation. Looking away from her, Inuyasha looked to his right towards the main temple doors in time to see them open. In the blinding sunlight that filled the entryway, he was able to see the silhouette of his soon-to-be mate.

She stood there motionless for a moment before taking the first step forward. He could see she was nervous, but she did not stop walking towards him. Déjà vu swept over him as he remembered the first time she walked towards him. It was a different temple, with different people witnessing it, but it felt the same. Being an orphan, Kagome walked alone towards him in her dazzling red robes rather than led by male members of her clan. Splendidly embroidered with pure gold thread and hundreds of tiny diamonds and rubies, he imagined the robe weighed damn close to a ton, but her smooth gait betrayed none of it. Her hair was pulled back and largely covered by an ornate veil and a sparkling golden crown, leaving her face uncovered.

He felt his chest tighten as he looked at her radiant face. She was so beautiful, more so than anyone else he'd ever laid eyes on, and she was positively glowing. Her young face shone in the bright sunlight and when their eyes met, she smiled at him. He could feel his heart pounding against his ribcage, the way the sight of her caused his breath to catch, and in that moment, he couldn't think.

His mouth was completely dry by the time she came to kneel on her cushion facing him on Kaede's other side and he was thankful Kaede began speaking almost immediately, taking his mind from the woman before him.

"Let us begin." Kaede said solemnly, taking a few moments to survey the assembled crowd before turning her beady eye to Kagome and then to the pale hanyou. "Before the ceremony can begin, I will ask that each clan representative confirm his or her presence when called."

She ran down the list from memory, calling out to each major clan representative and waiting for a reply for the scribe to record. All the while, she studied Inuyasha intently. Shifting uncomfortably under her scrutiny, Inuyasha swallowed pointedly and sent her a glare that clearly said she needed to find something else to look at. She didn't.

He bit his tongue and counted down from a hundred, hoping to keep himself composed before the crowd instead of snapping at the old woman. His formerly tumultuous emotions had now settled and he was overcome by another feeling he knew quite well: annoyance. Stupid old fart, he thought moodily, staring at me like that. He sulked silently, keeping his eyes focused on some point beyond Kagome's left shoulder. He didn't really want to look at her right now.

In the time since his son's birth, Inuyasha had quickly learned that looking at her for too long or even thinking about her turned him into a deplorable little sucker, and that pissed him off to no end. She had begun to confuse him in a way he'd never experienced before, making him both long for and dread being with her. For the most part, he had avoided her presence since leaving the tent. He'd come around occasionally to see his son, but he tried to do so at night, when they were both asleep. He knew he couldn't skirt around her indefinitely, but so far, he had managed to pull it off. Something told him, however, that those days were over.

The pause that followed Kaede's completion of the clan list had everyone sitting up a little straighter, knowing the ceremony was about to begin. After sweeping the crowd once more with her good eye, Kaede glanced briefly at the couple before speaking. "By the grace of the gods in the heavens, on behalf of the Kings of Simera, welcome." Her voice was solemn, but not unkind. "Today, before representatives of all of the major clans of the kingdom, the king and queen will complete the blood sharing ritual."

"As many of you already know, the blood sharing ritual is a sacred event that can only be undertaken once. It binds the bodies and the souls of the pair undertaking it and is the first of two steps of a complete mating process. After today, the king and queen will share a connection they will never experience with another. After today, they will cease to be individuals and become two halves of one whole, two bodies sharing one soul. Their very lives will be irrevocably tied together and they shall become one."

From beside Kaede, Inuyasha sat listening to her words intently. Though he had played dumb before, he was far from ignorant. He understood her words. He was conscious of what he was committing to. He knew that after today he and Kagome would feel each other constantly, be completely intertwined in a way he would never be with anyone else, not even Kikyou. Her lifespan would change to match his and their children's. Their children together would always come before any others he may have with any other wives or concubines. While any other women he may have during his lifetime would age and die, she would be his only constant, his lifelong companion. As half of him, her political power would increase dramatically. She would rise to a position no other woman of his would ever have. The list of changes was probably endless and Inuyasha knew that.

He also knew it was the right thing to do, the correct next step. Whether or not he loved her, it didn't change the fact that she was a good woman, a good mother, and a good queen. She would do her position justice and bring honor to him and his children. He was nervous about the physical changes he knew he'd undergo, knowing it would be strange and difficult to get used to feeling someone else become a part of him, but he would not back down. This was what had to happen and he was ready for it.

As the thoughts raced through his mind, Kaede began to speak again. "Both the king and queen have come here today voluntarily and have confirmed their desire to proceed. Is that not so?"

Her pointed look told him he was supposed to respond. "It is." He said solemnly. He saw her one-eyes gaze shift to Kagome, who repeated the assurance.

Looking towards the assembled crowd once again, Kaede sat silently for a moment before speaking again. "We shall begin."

"Are you ready?" She asked him, turning her eye towards him once more. He nodded once. When the same question was posed to Kagome, she too nodded. Taking both of their right hands, she placed Kagome's in his. Turning it over so that her palm faced up, she spoke to him again. "With the claw of your pointer finger, you must first cut a single line across your own right wrist. Then, you must cut hers. Do you understand?" He nodded once again. "Go ahead then."

He hesitated for only a moment before drawing his right hand out from under hers. He quickly slashed a deep cut along his wrist before reaching for her right hand. Glancing up into her face, he saw her apprehension, and he felt a pang of regret in his chest. He didn't want to hurt her, but he knew he had to cut her. He felt the sluggish flow of blood from his wrist trickle down onto his hand and once again felt himself hesitate at the thought of spilling hers the same way. As he held her right hand in his left, he allowed himself to run his thumb along the smooth back of her hand, hoping she'd notice the gesture and understand he wasn't looking forward to this.

She did. Squeezing his hand softly and offering him a small smile and a nod when their eyes met again, she urged him forward. She turned her own hand over, exposing the soft, pale flesh of her wrist to him. With his keen eyesight, he could see the veins he was to cut running under her skin.

Quickly, before he could change his mind, he held her hand still as he lightly swept over the skin of her wrist with his claw. He felt her flinch lightly, but she didn't make a sound as blood began to flow from the cut. He'd tried to be as gentle as possible, cutting her as shallowly as he could, and he was happy to see only a faint trickle of red flowing from it.

"Again," commanded Kaede.

"What?" He asked her irritably. "What do you mean "again", I just cut her!" He hissed under his breath.

"It isn't deep enough," She answered him readily. "We need more blood from her. You need to cut her deeply."

Glaring at her, he cursed under his breath before turning his eyes to Kagome. He didn't speak to her, but she read him anyway. "It's ok. Just do it." She urged him quietly, smiling at him once again. He knew she was scared, but her words calmed his anger and apprehension enough for him to do what he needed to do. Reaching for her bleeding wrist again, he retraced the cut again, quickly slicing deeper into her flesh. He felt guilty at the small sound of pain that escaped her. Looking at her wrist, he wasn't prepared for the absolute horror he felt at seeing the amount of blood that poured from it.

"Press your wrist against hers quickly." Kaede instructed. Doing as she ordered, Inuyasha placed his own bleeding arm under Kagome's, gripping her arm firmly from below. She did the same to his, keeping her gaze fixed on his own, and then they waited.

As the blood continued to flow from their wounds and dripped onto the ground, they waited in silence for something to happen. For several moments, he felt nothing, but in a split second, everything changed. His cut was suddenly on fire, burning him with an intensity he couldn't recall ever experiencing. He felt Kagome tense in front of him and grip his arm more firmly. As if sensing their sudden predicament, Kaede spoke again. "You must not pull away." She ordered them firmly.

Soon, the fire wasn't just gnawing at his wrist. It raced through his veins, reaching every part of him and scalding him with ferocious intensity. Grinding his teeth together, he forced himself to think of something else to try and distract himself. Not remembering having closed his eyes, he forced them open once again and searched for something to keep his mind off the silent agony he was being forced to endure.

His gaze found Kagome's face almost immediately. Concern immediately flooded his system as he took in the ghastly paleness of her features. Relegating his own pain to the back of his mind and willing himself to pay more attention, he noticed the way her arm trembled in his hand and the way her frantic heartbeat caused the blood to rush under the skin he was touching. Her eyes were closed and she was breathing heavily, yet she didn't make a sound. Something wasn't right.

Looking towards Kaede for guidance, he didn't even need to speak for her to understand. "She's fine. Do not let go."

The words died on his tongue as something within him snapped and he felt a warm rush overcome him. The fire was gone, replaced by an indescribable feeling of not being alone in his body. He _felt _her, felt her presence inside of him in a strange, yet not uncomfortable, way. He felt his own self rise up and engulf her, drawing her into himself, embedding her within his own soul. His heart pounded as he felt her become a part of him, no longer a foreign essence in his body, but rather an extension of himself. He felt tears gather behind his closed eyelids as the intensity of the moment and of his new connection to her overwhelmed him. They didn't fall, however, as he opened his eyes and searched desperately for hers, somehow needing to know that she felt it too.

She did. He saw it in her eyes. She understood what he was feeling, the overwhelming, all consuming sense of completion neither of them had ever even imagined possible. Tears fell from her wide eyes and her lips trembled as her ragged breaths passed through them. Somehow, he knew she was nearing her limit, the new stimulation overwhelming her human body faster and more aggressively than his.

"It is done." Kaede announced suddenly. "My senses tell me the bonding is complete. Their majesties must remain here a while longer for a few private words with me, but everyone else is dismissed. Exit quickly and silently."

Her commanding voice left no room for argument as the crowd of about a hundred nobles rose quickly and filed out of the main temple chamber through two smaller doors flanking the grand entrance. The sudden, foreign sense of urgency that welled in his chest wasn't his own and something told Inuyasha it had something to do with Kagome. She still seemed pale, her features looking almost frightened. The hand still gripping his arm was completely white, its grip not quite as strong as he felt it should be. He felt her anxiety, her absolute exhaustion, and cursed internally at how slow the courtiers were moving out of the room.

The moment the last hem of robe had exited the chamber and the doors closed by the temple attendants, he reached forward with his left hand and firmly grasped Kagome's elbow. "Hey," he said softly, "Kagome, look at me." He ordered her, his voice firm yet gentle. When her confused, unfocused eyes found his, he spoke again. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I…," she said weakly, "I can't," she breathed. Her voice was barely more than a whisper as she struggled to get them out. She looked like hell, like she was barely managing to remain upright. "I don't think…," she began tenuously before her eyelids fluttered and closed, her body beginning to fall as the strain of the blood sharing ritual finally got to her.

He caught her before she hit the ground, trying to reanimate her by shaking her lightly. "Leave her, Inuyasha," Kaede interrupted, "she'll be alright. Her senses are just overwhelmed right now. Let her rest. She'll be fine in a few hours."

"Keh," Inuyasha huffed, "you should have told us what would happen, old hag, not let us come in here thinking it would just be a matter of a little blood." He hissed at her.

"What was I supposed to tell you? I've never been mated before, how should I know what to expect?" She asked him pointedly while giving him a dry look. "It's different for every mated pair and besides, you're a half demon." She told him simply, reaching for a small white towel from the tray to her right and dipping it into a bowl of clear water.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Well, there is no record of a half demon ever completing the blood sharing ritual, so it's not like there is any precedent for this. How was I supposed to know what you should expect?" She asked him as she used the damp towel to clean Kagome's still bleeding wound. "It went better than I thought it would."

"You mean to tell me you led us into this without knowing what we were getting into? You could have killed us! What if our bodies had reacted badly to the mixing?" He asked her fiercely before the look on his face changed to one of absolute horror. "What if she's dying?"

"Relax boy, she's fine." Kaede told him with a chuckle. "If she were dying, you would know it. Your connection would let you know."

Feeling like a child who'd been caught doing something wrong, Inuyasha huffed indignantly and didn't say anything more, the blush staining his cheeks a sign of his embarrassment. "Whatever."

Kaede finished cleaning Kagome's hand and wrapped her wrist in several layers of soft gauze to staunch the bleeding. Tying it off neatly, she laid her hand down before reaching for Inuyasha's. When he resisted, she clicked her tongue indignantly. "Come on now, Inuyasha, don't be a child."

Giving into the old woman's chiding, he let her clean his own cut in silence. His was no longer bleeding and had started to heal on its own. As he watched the mending skin, a thought occurred to him. "Hey Kaede?"

"What?"

"How come she's still bleeding?" He asked her bewilderingly. "Shouldn't she be healing faster since I shared my blood with her?"

"Not necessarily." She answered patiently. "The blood sharing won't make her part demon, Inuyasha. It won't make her stronger or heal faster. She is just as human as she was before; the only thing that has changed is the connection between you and the fact that her lifespan has been extended to match yours. She will age the same way you do and be safe from the ills that come with aging, but not from the other hazards that plague humans. Sickness and injury will affect her the same way as before."

"Oh."

"That's why she is so overwhelmed right now. Her senses are still human and aren't built to withstand such an onslaught of stimuli. The connection is at its most intense right now. It will taper off in a few hours and she'll be fine. For now, it's best she sleep while her body grows accustomed to the changes. You should rest too. I can't imagine this has been easy for you either."

"I'm fine, hag."

"Alright then, carry her and follow me." She instructed. Rising to her feet, she made her way to the back of the altar and held a small door open for him. With Kagome in his arms, he moved through it and found himself in a small side chamber that looked like it served as some one's office. Walking behind a large wooden desk, Kaede came to what appeared to be a solid piece of wall. The blocks of granite revealed no weakness, yet when Kaede tapped a specific junction three times, a section of wall the size of a small doorway shook briefly before sinking into the ground, revealing a lit descending staircase.

Looking at Kaede in disbelief, Inuyasha posed the silent question to which the old woman only shrugged and replied, "It was your brother's idea."

Leaving it at that, she led the way down the stairs and down a long, narrow and well-lit corridor. They walked in silence for several minutes before coming to another stairway leading back up to the surface. They emerged in an area of his palace he knew to be near the armory. "Now you know it's there." Kaede told him. "Put her to bed and get some rest yourself. Your day is far from over."

* * *

When he woke up several hours later, he could barely remember getting to his room and falling asleep. He'd lied when he'd told Kaede he was fine; in reality, he was as weary as he could ever remember being. Even after sleeping most of it off, he still felt tired, like a heavy blanket had settled over his shoulders and refused to be lifted. He groaned out loud and turned over in his bed, burrowing into his covers like a child hoping to go back to sleep.

"Ah ah ah, no you don't! I have strict orders to not let you fall back asleep once you've woken up." Miroku's voice pierced the pleasant silence, startling the sleepy hanyou who promptly sat up straight in his bed.

"When did you come in?" He asked blearily, trying to rub the sleep from his eyes.

"A while ago. You've been asleep for several hours. I was starting to think you were dead." The monk joked. "You really must have been out of it. You didn't even hear me come in."

"I guess you're right." The hanyou conceded.

"Kaede asked me to give you this," Miroku added, handing Inuyasha a sealed scroll, "and to make sure you followed its instructions. What does it say?"

"'_Take a bath and do not leave your chambers. Meals will be delivered to you. Do not, under any circumstances, leave your chambers. She will come to you_.'" Inuyasha read. "If I didn't know better, I'd say she was the king." He huffed.

Miroku chuckled.

"I'm serious. The hag orders me around like I'm some sort of child. I don't even know why I put up with her."

"I think we both know why you do."

"Keh." He didn't press the matter. They both knew Kaede was above any royal protocol when it came to him. She had lent him a hand when he had been a wandering orphan, given him some semblance of a home when all he was used to was persecution. After living on his own and foraging to survive, Inuyasha had stumbled into her village one night, a hungry, jaded nine-year-old. He'd never understand what had possessed the then not-so-old miko to extend her kindness to a hanyou street rat, but she had, and for the next six years he'd frequented her hut during his wanderings. He never dared to stay for more than a night or two, but that didn't mean he didn't come to consider the place home.

When, after nearly eleven years of trying to track him down, Sesshomaru's men had finally succeeded in capturing him and bringing him to his brother; Inuyasha had brought her into his brother's court the first chance he got. The wise woman had earned everyone's trust and headed the temple in his brother's court before abandoning that post in favor of one in Inuyasha's. He'd never admit it out loud, but to Inuyasha, she was the closest thing to a mother he could truly recall, and he trusted her word above anyone elses.

"So," the monk began again, a suspicious wickedness in his voice, "are you ready for tonight?" He wagged his eyebrows suggestively. "I hear _someone_ is going to get some."

"You're incorrigible."

* * *

It was dark when she came in. He'd been sitting alone for hours on his balcony, looking out at the city. No lamps were lit in the room; he didn't need them. After Miroku left, he'd sat on his own on the terrace and simply watched the city fall asleep before his eyes. It was close to midnight when he heard the door open and her scent reached his nose.

Turning back from the city and looking back into his dark room, he could see her silhouette standing by the door. Moving closer, he caught sight first of the color of her robe. The bright, crimson silk was unadorned and belted simply at the waist to keep it closed. Her inky locks were unbound and fell in loose waves over her shoulders, reaching just above her waist. He stopped just at the entrance to his room and stood there expectantly, waiting for her to say something.

They stood in silence for several moments before she made the first move, taking a few tentative steps away from the door and closer to him. She cleared her throat softly. "I, uh...," she began hesitantly, "I'm sorry if I scared you today. I didn't mean to make you worry."

"S'ok." He told her awkwardly. Once again, they were engulfed by the awkward silence, each one waiting for the other to continue. "How are you feeling?" He finally asked.

"Better." She answered. "It's just a big change for me. It's strange, but not bad."

"Yeah, I get it." He told her. "Kaede said it would eventually settle down though. It won't feel so strange anymore."

"Ok." She said simply.

Falling back into silence, he looked at her expectantly. He could tell from her posture that she wanted to do something, but was holding back. Her face was still largely shrouded in darkness, so he couldn't read her expression.

The tension was killing him. He felt like an awkward child and had to resist the strong urge to scratch the back of his neck. He racked his brain for something to say, anything to ease the tense restlessness that seemed to engulf them whenever they fell into silence.

She moved forward then, stepping out of the darkness and closer to him. He could see in her face that she was feeling the tension too; a faint flush clinging to her cheeks. He looked at her then, _really_ looked at her, and suddenly saw a myriad of little details he'd never seen before.

She had a small beauty spot right below her left eyebrow; a thin, nearly invisible scar that ran along her collarbone. There were small hazel freckles nearly hidden within her brilliant blue irises and a barely noticeable widow's peak on her forehead. Maybe it was the combination of all of her newly discovered nuances or something else entirely, but right then, she seemed more beautiful in his eyes than she ever had before.

He felt like a sap, but he couldn't help the desire that suddenly stirred within him. He wanted her; wanted to know what her skin would feel like under his hands, what her lips would feel like below his own and for once, he didn't fight it. He didn't try to think about it or question it. All he wanted right then was her.

He moved towards her, closing the distance between them until he stood barely a few inches before her. He could hear her heart thundering in her chest and her shallow, anxious breaths. He searched her face and could see her apprehension written on it. She was nervous, but there was also something else he could see in her eyes: excitement. She felt it too, the attraction, the need to be closer.

Allowing his eyes to move lower, her traced the line of her jaw slowly before moving down the graceful curve of her neck and finally coming to rest once again on the pale scar along her collar bone. It was longer than he had initially noticed, and perfectly straight. He traced it slowly with his eyes before bringing his hand up to do the same, ghosting over her flesh in a way that immediately made her already racing heart speed up even more. Finally trailing his hand up her neck until it came to cup the back of it, he saw the way her eyes fluttered closed for a moment before opening again and meeting his own.

The look in her eyes consumed him. He wished then that she could look at him like that forever. The desire in her eyes was captivating and he couldn't resist her any longer.

His lips were on hers then, frantic and searching. One hand tangled in her hair while the other looped around her waist and pulled her flush against him. She was soft and pliant beneath his hands, falling into him trustingly the minute he enveloped her. Not content to simply be acted upon, she matched his desire and readily reached for him as well. Her mouth returned him enthusiasm; her tongue tangled with his as though with practiced ease.

As the hand holding the back of her neck wandered down to rest on the plane between her breasts, her hands tangled in his silver mane and pulled him down towards her more forcefully, needing to be closer. As their lips continued to come together with blinding intensity, they were both enveloped in a haze of passion neither had ever felt before. He felt her hands move quickly from his hair to the closed front of his undershirt, loosening the ties nimbly before sliding the silky fabric off his shoulders.

He was drunk off her taste. He loved the way her soft, tentative hands felt against the naked skin of his biceps. He released her only long enough to let the fabric fall away from his arms before grappling blindly with the sash that held her robe closed. He needed to touch her skin, to feel every part of her. He needed to quench the burning thirst within him, and only she could do that.

Finally undoing the tie of her robe, he quickly pushed the fabric open and off of her. She didn't protest when he moved away just enough to let it fall to the floor. Nipping at her lower lip lightly, he slowly moved his lips away from hers and opened his eyes for what felt like the first time.

For as long as he lived, he would never forget the look on her face just then. Her eyes were still closed and her faced flushed. Her lips were red from the onslaught of his own and he could hear the ragged sound of her pants as she caught her breath. When her blue eyes finally met his own, he knew there was no going back.

He saw every part of her just by looking into her eyes. He saw the mix of her desire and her nervousness. She wanted him, desperately so, but he could see her inexperience. She wanted to please him, but wasn't sure how. He could see her youth and her frailty swimming within her blue irises, but there was also a knowledge there, a certainty he had never seen before in anyone.

She loved him.

The way she was looking at him stirred something within him he didn't want to fight or quiet. He reached for her again, desperate to know she was real, and found her lips once more.

Her hands, still shy but growing bolder by the minute, grazed over the skin of his back and sides, touching him with a mixture of inexperience and eagerness that only fed the fire within him. He trailed his own hands over the supple skin of her neck, shoulders, and arms before moving to her chest. He touched every inch of her skin, memorizing the feel of her body, learning the places that made her gasp against his lips. He was consumed by her and strangely enough, he didn't mind.

The rest of his clothes fell away and soon they were tangled on the bed. Pressed so close together, it would have been impossible to know where one ended and the other began. They were both hungry for one another, needing nothing more than the feeling they shared then. She was his and he was hers and neither could fathom anything outside of that.

She was more responsive than he could have ever imagined. The sounds she made as he touched her excited him. The way her hands explored his body enthralled him. As she groaned, gasped, and arched against him, he felt himself descending even more into euphoria. He kissed his way along her gorgeous body and relished the sound of her gasps. He felt her fingers tangle more firmly in his hair as though to keep his mouth on her forever, needing to be touched as much as he needed to touch her.

As his hands ran across the skin of her chest, she tightened her grip on him and brought him back up to her face. She surprised him with her eagerness as she captured his lips with her own, prying his mouth open while one of her hands teased down his throat. Biting him softly then before running her teeth lightly along his lower lip, her eyes opened and looked into his own. Her endless blue depths were hooded and hazy with her passion and he basked in the knowledge that it was him who was causing her to feel that way.

"Inuyasha..." His name fell from her reddened lips like something out of a dream. "Inuyasha..."

Nothing more was said as he took her mouth once again. He trailed his hands from her neck down to her breasts, touching them teasingly as she moaned into his mouth, before moving lower to spay across the skin of her lower back. He held her to him firmly, reveling in the way their bodies fit together. When her fingers found the sensitive spots on the sides of his head where human ears should have been, he shuddered. He had been with women before, many of them, but never had anyone taken the time to really learn what pleased him outside of the obvious. Even with her inexperience, Kagome was a careful learner who had quickly figured out that the places that pleased him most were rarely obvious.

One of her hand moved back to touch the back of his neck, tracing it teasingly before lightly pulling at the hair at the base of his hairline, drawing a moan from his throat. He started when he felt her teeth scrape lightly along the side of his neck as she slowly kissed and nipped her way down his neck before coming up once more to take his lips.

When they finally came together, neither could suppress their cries. The ardor of the moment captured them both and somehow they knew neither would ever be the same again. Something had changed and neither could find it within them to resist. As they moved in sync, unable to tear their eyes away from one another, he felt her presence within him stirring, claiming him, and he understood that he would never feel this way with another. No pleasure would ever compare, no body would ever feel the same beneath his, and no other person would make him feel the way he was feeling then.

Looking into her hazy eyes below him, it was clear to him that she was feeling the same way. There could never be another, not like this. As the arms around his neck tightened and her eyes fell closed, he knew she was close. He could feel himself approaching the peak with her, and when she finally cried out and arched compulsively against him, he followed her over the edge. Groaning, he pressed his face into the side of her neck as they were both consumed with the rapture of release. They lay there, trembling, still intertwined, as they caught their breath.

He felt like he was made of dough. His limbs were heavy and he couldn't find the energy to move off of her. He could feel the way her arms seemed completely limp against him and figured she probably felt the same way. He made himself move just enough to lift his head to look at her. It was worth it.

In her eyes he could see her satisfaction. She was exhausted, but he could see that she was happy too. He felt something in his chest tighten when she smiled at him softly before reaching for his face again.

Slowly, as if afraid he'd disappear if she wasn't careful, she traced the lines of his face softly. Her fingertips ghosted over every plane and every hollow, over his eyelids, his brows, his nose, and finally his lips. She lingered there, touching them carefully, before closing the distance between them and kissing him softly.

The kiss was nothing like their previous ones. She seemed shy as she moved her mouth against his, searching for something he couldn't quite guess. It was soft and delicate, like her, and he returned it eagerly. When she finally pulled away and opened her eyes to look into his own, he could see her doubts, her questions, and her need for reassurance written in them. He didn't know what to tell her, couldn't find words to convey what was happening inside of him. He smiled at her sheepishly, hoping she'd understand. The one he got in return was brilliant, completely joyous, before she once again sought to close the space between.

Even after the haze of passion was gone, he found that he loved her touch. He loved the way she felt against him, the way her soft lips sought his, and he knew then that he couldn't go back to the way things were before. She was a part of him now and he was completely and undeniably hers.

**_End of Chapter_**

Hello again! I'm sorry for the long wait, but frankly this chapter was very hard to write out the way I wanted it. I'm really pleased with the results and I hope you are too!

I've started working on Chapter 6 but I can't make any promises as to when it will be up. I really feel like I need to take my time with this story and not just force it out to make deadlines, something which I hope you'll all understand. I hope you like this chapter and stay tuned for the next one!

**Answers to last time's bonus points:**

1. Zagreus was the son of Persephone and Zeus, sometimes also cited as the first incarnation of the god Dionysus.

2. Zelus (or Zelos) was the name of a figure in Greek Mythology whose name meant "Spirit of Emulation". Gerad names the first man this because he is created in the image of the gods.

3. The dram is the currency of modern Armenia as well as many past kingdoms/regions/etc.

4. Pula and Solin are real cities in Croatia

That's all for now. Let me know what you think!

Best,

V-F-E


	6. Chapter 6

She shuddered as she felt him run his fingers through her hair. She could feel his hot breath on her neck as his other arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back flush against his chest. "What did I tell you?" He whispered smoothly.

When she didn't answer, the hand that had been in her hair came around to rest around her throat. He was gentle, but the action served to remind her that he could easily be the opposite. "What did I tell you?" He repeated.

"To stick to the timeline." She breathed.

"That's right." He said. She felt the hand on her throat tighten, causing her to gasp. "Don't let me down, my flower," he crooned. "I _made_ you. Don't forget that I can put you back where I found you."

"Yes."

His hand loosened and moved to sweep her hair off her shoulder. "Good girl," he muttered before he pressed his lips to her neck.

* * *

He was so comfortable. His bed was warm and everything smelled good. As the morning light streamed through his eyelids and drew him back from the peaceful world of sleep, all he could think of was how he wished he could feel this way forever.

And then she moved.

All it took was for her to adjust himself against his chest for him to come back to himself. The feeling of her soft, warm, naked body against him, stirring softly in her sleep, made his heart lurch in his chest. All too quickly, he was aware of where he was and who exactly was lying with him. The pleasant warmth of a good nights' sleep disappeared and was replaced by the icy cold dread that settled in his stomach. The chill raced through his veins as he realized exactly what he'd been thinking, sending a wave of guilt in its wake. This wasn't right; it wasn't him. He needed to get out of there.

Without a particular destination in mind, he bounded off the balcony. He was thinking so many things at once, feeling so many things that he felt he might drown. He ran without direction, letting his feet lead him where they pleased. All he needed was to be away from her. He needed to forget the feel of her against him. He wanted to forget the noises she had made the night before and how they had affected him, filling him with such immense pride and passion he could barely comprehend. Desperate to strip her scent from his nose, he rushed away from his home, his responsibilities, and most importantly, her.

And suddenly, the day was gone. All at once, he realized it was no longer early morning. He wasn't even sure where he was. All he knew was that they weren't his; none of these emotions were his.

"Mind if I join you?"

Miroku's voice startled him. "God damn it monk." He muttered as a flush crept onto his cheeks at being caught off guard.

"I'll take that as a yes." Inuyasha avoided eye contact with the man as he settled down next to him, choosing instead to focus on the sun beginning to set into the mountains.

They sat in silence for a while until Miroku finally spoke again. "What are you doing here, Inuyasha?" He finally asked.

He didn't have the energy to come up with anything from the truth. "I don't know." He answered. "I just had to get away." He added, his voice betraying how tired he felt.

"From your wife?" Miroku asked knowingly.

He didn't answer immediately, but once again, he told the truth. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I just need to be away from her." Inuyasha answered.

Not satisfied with his answer, Miroku continued to pry. "And why is that?"

"You ask too many fucking questions." Inuyasha snapped. He paused and sat next to Miroku in silence for a few minutes. The monk was beginning to think he wasn't going to answer when he spoke up again. "I...," he began, looking uncharacteristically unsure of himself, "I just... She... ah, fuck." He ran a hand down his face, as though trying to clear his head enough to get what he wanted to say out, but since it didn't look like that would be happening, Miroku spoke again.

"Was it something she did?" He asked patiently. He knew whatever it was had to be bothering the hanyou king a great deal for him to act this way.

"Not exactly." He answered before stopping to choose his next words carefully. "I just hate this whole situation. I hate that there is some cosmic force compelling me to be in love with her, to feel emotions that aren't mine like I'm some toy."

"You think that your being newly mated is making you feel things towards her you wouldn't ordinarily?"

The hanyou nodded. "I feel like I'm not even myself anymore. It hasn't even been a day since the blood bond and she's taken over everything."

"I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Inuyasha."

"Last night..." Inuyasha began, "Gods... it's like she's everywhere now. I can't get her out of my system. I can't forget her scent or the sound of her voice or how her skin feels. It's like I need her now." He said slowly, his eyes unfocused as he gazed out at the horizon, his mind not quite all there. "This isn't me, Miroku. I didn't feel these things or want her the way I do now. It's all because of this fucking mating and I fucking hate it."

"I see," Miroku said, taking his time to process what he'd heard, "I'm not exactly sure what to tell you." He finally admitted.

"Keh. I figured as much." Inuyasha scoffed, suddenly feeling like an idiot for saying all of the things he had. "Forget about it," he ground out, "it's stupid and I'll deal with it. I'm not going to let anything change just because I'm feeling like a moron right now. Kaede said the strength of the connection would fade. When it does, things will go back to normal. I just need to stay away from her while that happens." He affirmed. "Things will go back to normal."

"I don't think it works that way, Inuyasha," Miroku added with a sigh.

"Did it sound like I asked you?" Inuyasha barked back. "You don't know what you're talking about. You'd do well to learn to keep your mouth shut." Standing up, he brushed himself off before speaking again. "It's time for you to go back."

"You're not coming back yet?"

"That's none of your damn business." The surly king responded gruffly. "Now get lost."

Miroku, always aware of when he had overstayed his welcome, slowly gathered himself and began to walk away the way he had come. There were more things he wanted to say, things Inuyasha needed to hear, but he knew that now was not the time. He would be wasting his words if he kept speaking, for he knew the king would hear no more of this conversation now. Still, the words unspoken felt heavy in his chest as he walked away.

* * *

It wasn't until several hours later that Inuyasha made his way back home. Walking through the torch-lit marble corridors of his lavish palace, designed as a sister to his family's ancestral home, he ignores the many bows and other respects paid to him by the people he encountered. He didn't stop to acknowledge anyone, not even his trusted servant, Myoga, who seemed to have something to say.

He heard the older demon waddle along behind him for some time, trying to get his attention multiple times with soft utterances of, "Your Majesty" or "My lord", but he would have none of it. Dismissing him with a wave, Inuyasha continued on his way without delaying.

Her rooms were not in his household, instead being closer to the wing that housed some of the courtiers, and typically not in an area he moved through frequently. Still, he had not hidden her. She was housed in large, comfortable rooms and had two maids to herself, a luxury he usually did not allot to everyone. He had put her in an area of the palace that implied prestige, though she was not even his official concubine. Coming to stand at the door that marked the entrance to her quarters, he paused for a moment. In doing what he had, in displaying her and honoring her without taking her officially as a concubine or a second wife, he had dishonored his wife. It wasn't proper for a man of his standing, or any standing for that matter, to have another woman so publicly without making her an official wife or concubine; it was adultery. Inuyasha knew he could have easily gotten around it being called that, simply by making her something official, yet he hadn't.

He shook his head lightly, trying to force the guilt that had somehow risen within him, but it truly didn't serve for much. He had felt guilt before for what he had done, for shaming her like he had just to spite her, but it had never tasted this bad before. "Things are different now," he thought morosely, "things are all fucked up now."

He scowled and forced the unpleasant thoughts from his mind as he made his way into her quarters, using his nose to figure out exactly where she was. Following her scent, he finally found her in her sitting room, reclining on a pile of cushions while a maid combed her hair. Looking her over, he noticed she was dressed only in a thin sleeping shift, leaving her essentially naked to his gaze.

"Kikyou," he said, startling the two women and drawing attention to himself.

Her eyes widened slightly as she turned to face him before a smile made its way to her face. "My lord," she responded formally. She dismissed the maid, who left silently with a bow, and waited for her to be gone before standing from her place. "Inuyasha," she said, addressing him in an informal way and with a voice such that he knew she was aware of what he'd come for.

Neither moved as his eyes once again scanned over her figure, taking in everything left unobscured by the thin piece of fabric that covered her. She was beautiful. Her hair was long and straight, stopping just as it hit the swell of her hip. Her eyes were dark and smoldered in any light; they were the key to her siren's call, her most effective weapon, and had ensnared him since the first time they met his.

He moved forward then, slowly closing the distance between them without breaking their eye contact. Coming to a halt in front of her, he reached out one clawed hand and pushed her hair back behind her shoulder before moving it down the pale curve of her exposed neck. Her eyes fell closed and she moaned softly at the contact. "I've missed you," she said.

He didn't respond to her, instead trailing his hand and gaze down her body, feeling the contours of her lithe feminine form, before reaching the hem of her shift where it hit the middle of her thigh. Looking back into her eyes, he fisted the material there before speaking, "Let's go to your bedroom."

* * *

Though he had already been awake for a while, he didn't immediately jump out of her bed when the sun rose. He lay there with her and let her snuggle up against his naked chest while he thought in silence, unable to completely escape the brooding character of his thoughts.

He'd had sex with her more times than he could remember, and just like each time before that night, she had been an excellent lover. She did everything right; she moaned at the right times, said his name just when he wanted to hear it, and knew her way around his body with expertise. She wasn't hesitant or shy; she knew what she was doing and she did it well.

The sex was good, like it always had been, yet for the first time, he found himself disappointed. Nothing had changed from the times they had done it before, so he truly didn't understand why the sudden expectation that it would be something more, but he could not deny that while he was physically satisfied, something just didn't feel the same anymore.

He was drawn from his somber musings when he felt her lips press against his chest. "Good morning," she cooed.

"Morning."

"Last night was wonderful," she continued, "I'm glad you finally came to see me."

"Yeah," he told her, not looking away from the scene outside her window, "I've just been really busy."

"I can imagine." She said as she pressed herself even closer to his side, "How is your son?" She asked, surprising him.

Caught off guard by the question, he looked away from her window and at her. "He is well." He said, feeling a little uncertain about being on this topic with her. His wife and his then unborn child had never been a topic of conversation for them, so he was understandably confused by her sudden broach of the topic.

"That's good," she said casually, "I'd like to see him sometime."

He answered her only with a soft grunt, preferring not to go into the reasons why that wouldn't be possible. He silently wished she would stop the conversation there and just be content to lay with him for a while longer before he left, but it seemed luck was not on his side.

"Does this mean you will come see me more often?" She asked him while tracing the contours of his chest with her fingers. "I've miss you, you know?" She added, echoing her statement from the night before.

He signed, wishing she would shut up, but answering her anyways. "I don't know," he told her, irritation starting to creep into his voice, "it's not like I have a whole lot of free time. I don't just spend my days lounging around being waited on."

If she was taken aback by the sharpness of his tone, she didn't show it. "I know that. I know you are very busy, but could you please try to come to me in the evenings? Don't you at least have that time free?"

He heard the slightly pleading tone of her voice and thought for a moment of giving in to her request. Truth was, he had spent most of his nights since his son's birth alone in his own bed when before, he had usually spend the night with her. He could see why she was unhappy, but he was just not prepared to agree to something he honestly had little desire to do. He still desired her, yes, but his desire no longer consumed him in the way it once had. It had to compete with other affections in him: the love he felt for his son and, though he hated to admit it, the strange, alien fondness he now felt for Kagome. It wasn't just him and Kikyou anymore.

He didn't tell her that though, instead offering up a non-committal, "We'll see," before untangling himself from her and the mess of sheets that covered them. Tying one around his waist, he moved away from her bed and towards the screen-protected area where the washbasin was. He took his time, not skipping steps in his morning routine like he had the day before. He washed and dressed before speaking to her again on his way one. "Thanks," he said casually, "I'll see you soon."

"Hopefully," she added, not rising from her place on the bed.

He left without another word. He thought that perhaps he should have talked to her more, but in all sincerity, there hadn't been much for him to say. They had never been particularly talkative about the matters that occupied his days. Being king was more than simply living a lavish life; the strength of his borders, the wealth in his treasury, the loyalty of his courtiers, and the condition of his family weren't topics he had ever felt the need to share with her, and though she never asked or seemed particularly interested in any of them, they had still found things to talk about. He knew all about the things she liked, her past, and what made her happy. He had showered her with gifts since they had met and in return, she had always been at the ready to bed and satisfy him.

Walking out of her entrance, he made his way through the now busy wing on the palace. Though many more people stopped to pay their respects to him, he simply acknowledged them with a nod, not bothering to stop. They all knew where he was coming from, and though he was not ashamed, he didn't feel like talking to them at the moment.

The rest of his day passed sluggishly amid mountains of papers, meetings, and people coming in and out of his office, needing to speak with him about some matter or other. He wasn't holding public audience that day, meaning only courtiers could come to him, yet that didn't make the whole process any less aggravating when all he wanted to do what not be there. As he mulled over reports on the Hissian activity near his borders and read the translations of several intercepted messages, he remembered that Kagome knew how to speak their tongue. The memory of his outburst taunted him as he remembered the many times he had been less than a kind husband to her.

"I'm an asshole," he thought bitterly to himself as he pushed away the papers on his desk. "I am a miserable asshole who can't even fight this stupid curse."

It was this moody scene that Miroku walked into a few moments later. "Inuyasha?" He said as he shut the door, addressing him much more informally than was appropriate.

Breaking his blank stare, Inuyasha blinked before turning his eyes to the man before him. "What?"

"Is something the matter?" He asked tentatively, moving forward to take a seat across from the cross king. "You seem troubled."

"It's nothing, monk," he answered, sounding tired though it was only mid-afternoon.

Sighing, Miroku persisted. "Don't lie. What is it?"

"Honestly, it's nothing. I don't actually have anything to say. I'm just not in a good mood, alright?"

Miroku studied him silently for a moment, surprised by the sincerity and weariness in his friend's voice. He looked tired, like he hadn't been able to sleep well the night before, and though he was tempted to ask, he already knew the answer to where he had been. It was no secret; dozens of people had seen him. "What did you need?" The hanyou finally asked him.

Bringing himself back to the matters at hand, Miroku quickly handed him what he had come to deliver. "It's from your brother."

Taking the parchment, Inuyasha broke the large wax seal and scanned over the message quickly. "Says he's coming. Has something he needs to talk to me about that can't be written down."

"Hmm," Miroku began, "it sounds serious."

"Probably is." Inuyasha replied, not seeming at all concerned. "Is there anything else?"

"No, that was all," Miroku replied as he stood up. Deciding it was worth a try, he once again asked the hanyou whether he wanted to talk about anything else. The answer was the same. Taking his leave, he left the king once again alone with his thoughts.

It was late before he finally made up his mind to go see them. Jumping out of his office window, he made quick work of getting around the facade of the palace. He relished in the feel of the gentle night air on his skin, letting it ease his crowded mind. He was tired and he missed his son. He missed his sweet, fresh, newborn scent and the way his little fingers curled around his bigger ones, grasping him as his eyes struggled to focus on his face. It had been four days since he'd last seen him as he concentrated on avoiding his mother and he felt like an asshole.

Landing on Kagome's balcony, he noticed the screen doors were drawn, leaving the terrace in darkness save for the small glimpses of light that flickered through the latticed screens. It was quiet inside, but he knew she wasn't asleep. Padding across the cool marble floor, he approached them silently, pushing it aside easily and stepping into the room.

She didn't notice him immediately. She was bent over the ornate crib across from her bed, murmuring the words to a lullaby quietly as her hands softly soothed their baby. He stood quietly and watched her, waiting for her to finish before making himself known. He was surprised she hadn't noticed him, but figured he'd been too quiet for her human ears to pick up on.

He expected her to start when she saw him, but when she finally turned in his direction, he was the one surprised. She looked pale and, if the dark circles below her eyes were any indication, she hadn't slept well in days. Her cheeks looked gaunt and her eyes looked tired. "Kagome?" he asked her softly, moving forward to stand before her.

"Hi," she said simply, giving him a small smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "It's good to see you."

"Are you sick?" He asked, bringing his hand up to cup her pallid cheek. "What's wrong?"

"Tai has been phasing." She said simply and he understood her meaning immediately.

"When did it start?"

"Early yesterday evening." She said wearily, pulling away from him to look into the crib. "It went on all through the night and tonight doesn't look to be much different. He'll doze off for a few minutes at a time, but then it'll happen again and he just screams."

He was frightened by how hollow her voice sounded. And then the guilt hit him. He should have come sooner; instead, he had spent three days avoiding her and thinking about himself without bothering to think that maybe the overwhelming nature of his emotions had something to do with her. She'd been up for two nights with a screaming infant, who probably cried through the night as he phased between his human and hanyou forms. Children didn't start to have a regular time of weakness until they were 7 or 8; before then, the transformations were incomplete, random, and from what he could remember, terrifying.

"I don't know what to do for him." She said, drawing him from his thoughts. Turning once more to look at him he was haunted by the despair he saw in her eyes. "He's so frightened and I can't do anything about it. And it won't _stop_." She whined, her eyes shining with tears as she was finally overwhelmed by how powerless she probably felt.

He didn't really think about what he was doing as he reached for her and pulled her into his arms. She sagged against him, clinging to him desperately as she cried softly. "Hey, don't cry," he told her softly, "he's going to be ok. It doesn't hurt; he just doesn't understand what's happening. The loss of his senses scares him, but he's not in danger."

"But he's my _child_!" She cried, holding onto him more tightly. "I'm his mother, I'm supposed to protect him and I can't do anything to help him now. I can't hear him cry like that anymore, Inuyasha, I can't!"

There wasn't much he could say to that. He could feel her exhaustion in the way she held onto him and her despair through their mate connection. She probably had not slept in the last two nights, only adding to the complete misery of the experience. He knew she couldn't go on like this for very long. He just hoped this wouldn't last much longer.

All he could really do was comfort her in the best way he could. Having her in his arms this way was awkward and unfamiliar, but given the circumstances, he couldn't very well pull away from her. She needed this; she needed him. "He's going to be ok." He told her.

She didn't say anything else, instead simply leaning against him, soaking in his comfort, and they waited. Minutes passed and still they remained there, frozen like statues, waiting for another fit to awaken their son and drive the room into misery once again. During that time, the silence was heavy, but there wasn't much either of them could say.

When the minutes continued to pass and the screams never came, he hoped that perhaps Tai's transformations were through for the night. "I think it's over." He told her softly.

He felt her shake her head where it rested against him. "It might not be," she answered him miserably, "sometimes he'll go an hour or two without phasing. And I always think it's over and I'm just so relieved, but then it will start again. I don't know how many times it has happened."

Once again, he felt her misery was almost palpable. She had been up for two nights, alternating between hope and despair, not knowing how to make it better, and he had been nowhere to be found. She was so tired, so drained, and he hadn't done a damn thing to help.

She shifted against him, pulling him from his unpleasant thoughts, and he reminded himself that he was there now. He could help now. What he didn't do in the past wasn't something he could remedy; all he could do now was try and figure something out for both their sakes. He could feel the slight weight of her body as she rested against him and he knew she needed to get some rest. "Come on," he said softly, "you should try and get some sleep."

"I can't fall asleep," she murmured, not moving from her place in his arms, "not with him like this."

"He's quiet now; with any luck, it's over. Even if it isn't, we may have a few hours before he wakes up again."

"Mmm." When she didn't truly respond, he figured she was ceding. Sliding his hand under her knees, he quickly picked her up off her feet and moved towards the bed.

They didn't talk much as he helped her out of her heavier outer robe and under the soft white covers of her bed. He could see that no matter how hard she was fighting it, sleep was not something she could really go without for much longer. When she finally laid down in nothing but her thin, white sleep shift, he sat down on the edge of her bed and waited, not really sure what for.

She looked at him silently for a few moments. Her expression was uncharacteristically difficult to read; her eyes were intense, but he couldn't really understand what she was thinking. "What?" He finally asked her.

She didn't answer him immediately, instead continuing to start thoughtfully at him. When it came, her voice was soft and almost shy. "Lay down with me?"

His first instinct was to deny her, to jump away from her bed and refuse. Instead, he remained silent. Finally, he stood from his place on her bed and looked down at her wordlessly, his expression guarded.

He saw the immediate rejection on her face and felt hot shame well in his chest. She turned away from him and seemed to retreat into herself, pulling her knees up and making herself as small as possible. To him, it looked like she was trying to hide, to shy away from him and his indifference.

He moved automatically, knowing he needed to take that step now. Moving quickly, he got into bed behind her and curled his body around hers. He felt her stiffen against his chest as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer to him. It was awkward and new, but eventually, she relaxed and timidly placed her hand over his, squeezing it softly. They lay there quietly, both uncertain but unwilling to move, until Inuyasha felt her breathing slow and her body relax even further as she fell asleep.

Not for the first time, Inuyasha realized he felt good having her soft, warm body so close to him. He liked feeling her soft hair against his face and having the smell of her envelop him. She felt good and she felt right. He didn't know why or how she'd managed to get so far under his skin, but as he lay with her in the quiet stillness of the night, he decided that, just for now, he could accept and enjoy her closeness.

* * *

**There it is. After months of stalling and not being at all productive, here's the new chapter of TBOTS. I hope you all enjoy it! Again, thanks for all of the wonderful reviews. Huge thanks to my incredible beta, Penthesilea, for all of her help and inspiration with this. I have a new project in the works but it won't be nearly as massive an undertaking as this. Once it's at least halfway written, I'll begin posting so stay tuned. All the best -V**


	7. Chapter 7

It was early evening when the knock at his door distracted him from the pile of paper in front of him. "Come in."

A young, unfamiliar attendant, a teenager from the Nara house from the looks of his sigil, stepped into the room and bowed deeply. "Majesty, your chancellor requests a word." He said nervously.

Inuyasha frowned, unused to the jittery boy. He didn't bite. "Stand up boy." He commanded. The boy immediately shot up into an upright position but kept his eyes averted. "Look at me." He pressed.

The boy's frightened dark eyes met his own. "Your majesty," he deferred.

"I don't believe you've given me your name, boy." He continued.

"Hale, your majesty, Hale of house Nara." He replied softly.

"When did you come to court, Hale of house Nara?"

"A fortnight ago, your Grace." He continued.

Inuyasha studied the frightened teen curiously, unsure of why exactly the boy seemed to tremble beneath his gaze. "Why are you afraid?"

Hale froze. "I...," he stuttered, "Majesty, I have never been at court before and this is my first time attending a lord. You are the king and I do not want to make a mistake that might shame my house in your service." He forced out, falling once again into a reverent bow.

The king remained silent for a moment before speaking again. "I see." he told the nervous boy. "I don't know what stories you have heard about what it means to be in my service, but I will tell you now, Hale of House Nara, that I prefer attendants who do not cower before me. I find no pleasure in your fear, so gather yourself. Send the chancellor in. You're dismissed."

"Yes, your Majesty." He exited quickly, seemingly eager to get away.

"Stupid boy," muttered Inuyasha as he pinched the bridge of his nose. It had been a very long day of public audiences and paperwork. He was weary of his work and wanted nothing more than to leave for the night, but some things required his immediate attention. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, feeling slightly rejuvenated for a moment. One pointed dog ear twitched as he heard the door once again open and close. "Since when do you ask for permission?"

"I was told you were busy and did not wish to be disturbed." Miroku answered him simply, taking a seat on the opposite side of his desk.

Inuyasha opened his eyes again and looked at his chancellor. He didn't bow and didn't refer to him with honorifics in private. They had been friends long before he had been king and Inuyasha was thankful for his normalcy. "I have been busy. There have been some strange reports coming in from the northern borders."

"What strange reports?"

"Abandoned villages, empty military camps, strange lights in the sky, all sorts of craziness. A few scouts are reporting from Hissian territory and they report the same as the border watch. They're up to something."

"Hm," Miroku mused. "That is very odd, but you know the Hissians are strange peoples. They are lordless, kingless. They can hardly be called a single people."

"You're right, but these reports are different." Inuyasha told him. "The Hissians are savages, but I've never heard of anything like this before. They're not at war with one another, that's for sure. Whatever witchcraft they're up to is new to me. I'll send word to Sessomaru and ask what he makes of the whole thing. I'm sure he has gotten similar news."

"That's what I wanted to come talk to you about." Miroku told him. "Sessomaru is coming to court. He has sent word and he expects you to receive him in a fortnight."

"He's coming here?" Inuyasha asked him again ,"Why?"

"He didn't say, but whatever the reason, it's probably important."

"Guess so." Inuyasha yawned widely and settled back in his chair. "I'm tired."

"Now that's something strange to hear from your mouth. You never complain of weakness." Miroku smirked.

"Keh," Inuyasha snorted. "I've spent the whole day hearing people complain to me about this and that and now I'm buried up to my neck in strange border reports and written complaints."

"Such is the life of a king." Miroku commented. "Always full of things to attend to."

"Keh."

They fell into silence briefly before the monk spoke again. "I hear you have been spending time with the queen lately."

"What's your point?" Inuyasha scowled.

"No point. I was just happy to hear it. You've been to see her every day for almost a month."

"Are you just here to tell me things I already know? Yes, I've been to see her. What of it?"

"You never did that before."

"I never had a kid before."

"Fair enough," the monk conceded. "Is she well? I haven't seen her much."

"She's fine. Better now that Tai has stopped phasing. Little screamer kept her up for four nights in a row. I was there for the last two but that didn't stop him from waking us up just about every hour."

"Us?"

Inuyasha realized he'd been tricked into revealing too much. "Monk..." he warned.

Miroku held up his hands in surrender. "Alright, we don't have to speak of it." Still, he smirked and wagged his eyebrows suggestively.

Inuyasha glared at him sullenly, annoyed at being caught by his own admission. He had been with her every night nearly a month. Somehow, it had become his custom to leave his study in the evening and find his way to her chambers. He couldn't say they talked much, but they were more comfortable with one another than before.

"Why the sudden change, Inuyasha?" Miroku asked him seriously. "You could barely stand her until recently. Now you spend every night in her chambers."

Inuyasha sat silent for a while before speaking. "I told you, my son."

"I'm sure that's part of it, but if that were the only reason, you wouldn't be sleeping there." He pointed out. "Tell me the truth, is your affection for the queen growing?"

The moody king sighed irritably but remained silent. He knew better than to lie at this point. Besides, keeping everything to himself was tiring him out. Miroku wouldn't say anything to anyone. "Maybe." He answered honestly. "I'm not really sure." He struggled with how to phrase what he was thinking for a moment before speaking again. "Things are different."

"How so?"

"I used to hate being in her presence. It grated on my nerves and just about everything about her annoyed me. I don't know whether she has changed or I have, but it's not so bad anymore."

"You enjoy her company?"

"In a way. We don't really talk much, but being around her is...nice, I guess." He didn't go into further detail, not with the monk. He was only willing to share so much. The fact that he had actually come to enjoy her scent and the feel of her soft and warm body next to him at night was only for his knowledge. It unsettled him, how quickly and easily this woman he used to reject so vehemently had wormed her way into his life.

After Tai had stopped phasing, he had meant to return to his rooms and continue to ignore her for the most part, but he'd barely made it till midnight. He'd berated himself and fought against the urge, but he eventually caved and returned to her room that night, forced to admit that her scent soothed him. She had been surprised to see him return, but had made room for him in the bed and didn't question his actions. They had repeated the process every night since then, occasionally exchanging a few words about their son or some mundane thing, but for the most part, they spent the evenings and nights in silence.

"You think it's the mating ceremony?" He asked the monk bluntly, the question having been nagging at him for some time.

"Perhaps." Miroku answered him. "I can't be sure, but perhaps it might be an explanation." Inuyasha sensed there was something the monk was withholding.

"But...?" He pressed him suspiciously.

"I cannot say for certain, but I've never heard of mating creating affection. It creates a sense of duty, of urgency in times of danger. It's a survival mechanism, but I have never heard of it being responsible for anyone _enjoying _or feeling new _affection_ for the mate."

The words hung heavy in the air for a moment before Inuyasha scoffed at him. "Keh. Whatever."

"I'm no expert on youkai mating, Inuyasha, you know that. Perhaps you should direct your question to Kaede."

"Old hag doesn't know much about it either. She told me she'd never heard of a hanyou mating before so I doubt she'd be able to explain much. Whatever the case, it's not really affection to begin with." He denied.

"I see."

They were once again blanketed in silence before Inuyasha spoke again. "Hey, you know the Nara boy? The new one?"

"Your new attendant? I've seen him a few times, why?"

"Find him a friend or something. The kid looked scared out of his wits when he came in here. I know I'm an asshole but I don't enjoy frightening children."

Miroku smiled. "I shall do what I can. I'm sure he will acclimate." He paused. "It's kind of you to be considerate of the boy."

"Keh." Inuyasha huffed. "Just don't go around telling people I've gone soft. Last thing I need is for people to think I coddle my servants."

"Yes, your majesty," the monk mocked.

He came to her earlier that night than was customary and found her at her dressing table surrounded by handmaids. She was still dressed in her daytime robes, a spectacular set of cerulean silk embroidered with pearls. As he approached from the balcony, he saw that one of her maids was unfastening some pearl hairpins and loosening the elaborate knot her hair was arranged in. One of the girls caught sight of him and immediately dropped into a curtsy. "My king," she murmured as the others also became aware of his presence and followed suit.

He ignored them in favor of looking towards his wife who had turned to meet his gaze. She smiled at him softly before speaking to her retinue. "You may go." She dismissed, waiting for them to silently exit the room before standing and moving towards him. "You are early today."

"Keh."

"I'm happy to see you." She said that every day. Always with the same smile and the same tender look. She was always happy to see him. He wasn't quite sure when it stopped being one sided.

"What's all this for?" He asked her, gesturing to her court dress.

"I had audiences today." She answered him. "I had taken some time off after the baby was born but I thought it time to return to my duties. There were many visitors today."

"Hm," he grunted in acknowledgement. He often forgot that she had things to do too. A queen was not only for show. She received guests, held audiences and listened to petitions on the king's behalf. She was the most powerful, most revered woman in the kingdom and many came to seek her favor or ask for her help. It seems she too had had a long day.

"How was your day?" She asked him, breaking with their usual routine of exchanging as few words as possible.

He was tempted to ignore her or tell her it was none of his business, but he refrained. "Long. Audiences in the morning and other work in the afternoon. I'm damn tired of all of it." He huffed, moving past her and flopping down on the bed. "How is Tai?" he asked, noticing it was unusually quiet in the room.

"He's doing well. Kaede took him today so I could work. She should be bringing him back to me soon." She said.

"Oh." He hadn't felt anxiety around her in a while, but this was the first time since their mating ceremony that they were truly alone. The silence thickened as they both waited for the other to speak, neither willing to make the first move.

After a moment, she turned away from him and again went to sit at her dressing table. When her back was turned, he found himself letting out a breath he hadn't been aware he was holding. Resting his head back on the softness of her bed, he closed his eyes and reveled in the fact that she didn't seem to need to fill the silence with empty words. Her bed was soft and her room smelled nice. He was tempted to just fall asleep right as he was, but eventually, his curiosity got the best of him.

Cracking an eye open and looking in her direction, he watched her closely as she continued to remove the many pins that held her hair. He watched as her fine, graceful hands moved and gradually loosened the heavy hairdo, letting tendrils of hair gradually fall to cover the exposed expanse of her neck. She moved with an easy grace he found he liked to watch and once the last pin was removed and her hair was loose and curing down her back, he felt himself wanting to run his hands through it.

Swallowing hard, he thought briefly that he was in more trouble than he had previously thought. As he lay there on his back, watching her move fluidly through her routine, he contemplated the fact that something had somehow changed between them. More than once, he had caught himself just watching her, how she walked, how she moved, the way her face relaxed in sleep or how her voice sounded as she spoke to their son. He'd started to notice things about her he never had time for before and would be lying if he said he didn't feel drawn to her.

This time, she caught him staring. Turning around before he could think to look away, their eyes once again locked and she smiled sweetly at him before speaking. "You're quiet," she noted, "what are you thinking about?"

"You," he answered before he lost the courage to tell the truth, somehow needing her to understand what was happening to him.

She seemed surprised at his answer, but she smiled brightly at him before standing. His eyes followed her as she walked towards him on the bed and eventually laid down on her back next to him. Her eyes, blue and intense and overwhelmingly beautiful, stared into his own silently, as though searching for the words he couldn't quite compose. "What about me?" she finally whispered.

He tensed and suddenly felt the urge to run away from the conversation, but he found he couldn't quite move away from her and her intense eyes. What was he thinking? He wasn't entirely sure. His head was spinning with a jumble of emotions and his chest felt tight as he struggled to understand and express himself. The urge to talk, to have her know, almost overwhelmed him as he searched hers for some kind of guide as to how to begin.

It occurred to him then that if anyone could understand what was happening, how his feelings had changed towards her since their mating, it was probably her. She had loved him before, but could one really love a person they barely knew? Before their mating, they'd led separate lives; they never spent time together or even talked. He knew next to nothing about her and she probably knew only slightly more about him. They were strangers and yet she had somehow felt some form of love or affection towards him. Had it changed? Did it feel at all like what he was feeling now?

"I don't know..." he told her honestly. "I don't have the words. I can't really say."

"Is it good or bad?" She asked him softly.

"Good," he said quickly. "Good."

"Then I'm glad." She smiled. From beside him, she reached out her hand to touch his lightly before slipping her fingers between his own and squeezing softly. "I'm happy it's something good."

His tongue itched to ask her his own question. What did she feel when she looked at him? Did her chest tighten too? Was she ever afraid? He didn't know if he should speak, so he remained quiet.

The hand that wasn't holding his reached over and gently smoothed the crease he hadn't noticed forming between his brows. "You look upset." She told him.

"I'm not." He rebuked, but there was no real fire in it. "I'm...confused."

"About what?"

"Lot's of things." He answered her.

"Don't think about it now. You don't have to have all of the answers now."

Her soft assurance comforted him somehow and he figured he could think about the whys another day. For now, he could just enjoy her closeness and her scent and that look she got in her eyes when she looked at him. He wanted to be here and he wanted her to be with him. He'd figure out why later.

Their quiet stillness was broken by a soft knock at her door. "My lady? Lady Kaede is here with the prince."

Kagome smiled at him before sitting up again and straightening her robes. "Come in, Rena." A young, blond lady he recognized from earlier stepped into the room and held the door for Kaede. The younger woman curtsied briefly before excusing herself, leaving them along with Kaede and the quiet bundle she brought with her.

"And how did my little prince behave for you today, Kaede?" Kagome asked her as she walked over and eased the baby into her arms.

"I'm afraid this is the only time he has been quiet since you last saw him," Kaede responded with a chuckle, "he has been a little naughty today. I suspect he was uneasy at being away from you. Your scent is important for him."

"I see," Kagome said solemnly. "I'm sorry if he was a handful. I didn't realize it would be so difficult for both of you."

"It was no trouble. He is very little and it will get better the more he grows accustomed to other people." Inuyasha saw her dark eye dart over to look at him before speaking again. "I see you have company."

"Keh." He retorted, but sat up nonetheless. "Took you long enough to bring him back, old woman." He didn't like that look in Kaede's eye, the same one she gave him as a boy when she'd caught him doing something bad. That knowing, almost taunting look of someone who knows all of your secrets.

"It was not my intention to keep you waiting, my king," she said with a smile.

"Whatever."

"In any case," Kaede continued as she once again returned her attention to Kagome, "I'll leave you now. Goodnight, my lady," she said pleasantly, "my lord." Not bothering with a curtsy, she turned and left the room as quietly as she had come.

As he watched Kagome tend to their baby, he wondered if he was going soft. The infant was promptly fed, burped, and changed and even stayed awake long enough to find the twitching of his father's ears fascinating. Kagome laughed softly, her laughter sweet and melodious, as Tai's golden orbs had followed the movements of his father's ears in rapture before letting out a shriek as he reached for them. The little one fussed at not being able to close his fist around the ear, his frustrated whines filling the still air before his mother, ever patient and ever gentle, soothed him with her voice.

He thought about the conversation they had left unfinished. When she laid the baby down for the night and it was once again the two of them, the silence hung heavier that before, pregnant with the words they hadn't been able to get out before they were interrupted before. The lights were dim and as he watched her move towards a large chest of drawers and pull out one of the flimsy, barely substantial shifts she slept in.

She probably could have managed the many buttons holding her elaborate day robes together on her own. He'd seen her do it before; he'd watched as she gradually loosened the folds of her outer robes until they fell and pooled around her ankles, leaving her in a loose inner robe. She'd usually step behind a screen and come back out in her sleeping shift, but tonight, it was different.

He'd felt the urge to touch her before, but tonight, it was impossibly strong. When her outer robe hit the floor, he moved. He left his spot on the bed and stood before her, breaking their usual distance, so close he could feel the heat of her body against him.

For once, he didn't feel out of control around her. It didn't feel like his hands were guided by some force other than his will as he reached out and took the soft shift from her closed fist and placed it on the dresser. He was deliberate as he reached for the ties of her inner robe and loosened them until it draped loosely over her figure. He ran his hands up her covered sides and to her shoulders where he'd pushed the slight fabric of her body, letting it join her outer robe and leaving her completely bare before him.

His eyes were locked on her face as he silently slipped the shift over her head and helped her untuck her hair from inside it, his hands ghosting over her shoulders as the soft material settled around her thighs.He was captivated by the intensity of her expression. She was beautiful and in her eyes he saw a fierceness, a hunger, he'd never seen in her before. She was always soft and gentle and pliant, but she stood before him now, steady and bold, and he was surprised by the desire that coursed through him when she stepped forward and closed the distance between them.

Her kiss commanded him. She kissed him steadily, deliberately. Her hands slid up his clothed arms before looping around his neck to hold him more firmly to her. When before he had coaxed her lips apart, this time she coaxed his. She kissed him slowly and deeply, letting her body press against his as he hands held him. There was no nervousness this time, only a controlled confidence that lit his blood on fire.

She kissed him with a certainty he'd never known before and through the series of hot, strong kisses that followed, he couldn't get enough of it. They fell into bed in a tangled heap of limbs, struggling to get his own jacket and shirt off and just be close to one another. They were hungry tonight, but not desperate, and he knew he was satisfied without having to rush into something else. They finally broke apart when his naked chest had settled over her barely covered one, both breathing heavily as they looked at each other. He thought he should say something, anything, but the words just wouldn't come.

She'd smiled at him then, not one of her soft, knowing smiles, but one he'd rarely seen before. She smiled broadly at him, a hint of mischief gleaming in her eyes as she laughed softly before once again dragging his mouth down to hers. As he felt the way his tongue tangled with hers, he felt the knowledge creep up on him. He was happy. He was really fucking happy and when he was with her, kissing her until they ran out of air and enjoying the feel of her eager, warm body beneath him, he felt content and whole. As sleep finally started to take over him, he decided that everything else could go to hell.

Morning crept up on them far too quickly for his liking. When the sunlight became too bright to ignore, he groaned and turned to hide his face against the warm body next to him. She shifted against him, adjusting herself so his face rested in the crook of her neck, not quite awake yet. Not for the first time he thought that he rather liked having her be the first thing he smelled and touched in the morning.

He slowly came back to wakefulness, careful not to move too much and disturb her, somehow knowing she wasn't quite ready to start the day. Last night had shifted something and Inuyasha was quite sure he had no plans of backtracking. Laying there, surrounded by her body and her scent, he decided he loved being able to touch her without hesitance. He was tired of avoiding it, of trying to reason his way out of his desires. She was his wife, his mate, and there was no reason for him to force distance between them when it was clear neither of them really wanted it.

When she finally stirred beneath him, he pressed his lips to the skin of her neck. "Good morning."

"Hn." She responded sleepily.

"Time to wake up." He added, nipping lightly at the spot he'd just kissed. The contrasting sensation seemed to do the trick as her blue eyes finally opened and looked blearily in his direction.

"Inuyasha?" She asked sleepily.

"Who else would it be, woman?" He asked her with a chuckle. He watched as she blinked a few times to clear the sleep from her eyes before really focusing on him in earnest. She smiled at him lazily, looking happy but a little confused. "What?" He asked her.

"You're different this morning." She told him.

"Is that bad?" He said as he shifted so he lay on top of her, looking down into her pretty, relaxed face.

"No." She said simply. "It's nice." She smiled at him happily before leaning up and pressing her lips to his.

He increased the pressure and leaned down to press against her on the bed. He kissed her slowly, enjoying her pliant, soft lips below his and the feel of her hands on his neck. He'd never kissed a woman like this before. This unhurried, undemanding kiss felt refreshing and natural to him as he wondered why he had never tried it before. Kisses were always a precursor to something else, something to get out of the way more than actually revel in. Today was different.

He broke away from her mouth reluctantly, steering his own lips softly against the skin of her jaw. Her skin was smooth and even and it felt nice against his lips. They swept lightly over her closed eyelids and down the bridge of her nose before setting over her own once again. They were in no hurry, but it seemed someone else had other ideas. A few restless whines tore their attention away from one another as their son made his presence know. "Tai's awake."

He rolled off her reluctantly and let her move out of the bed and towards the fussy infant. He'd woken up only twice during the night and it seems he had had enough of not being the center of attention. Stretching lazily on the bed, Inuyasha watched as Kagome bent over to take the baby into her arms. "Good morning, my love," she told him softly as she pressed her lips to his forehead, "Did you sleep well?"

At first, Inuyasha had thought it annoying that she insisted on talking to Tai so much. He was a baby, what did he understand? Just because you babbled at him all day wouldn't make him understand. Her constant stream of words, real words not baby talk, grated on his nerves. It was like talking to no one.

But like just about everything else about her, it had grown on him. She was a wonderful mother; tender and loving and always willing to give her attention to their son. She'd taken to the job more naturally than he could have imagined. They were first time parents and sure, there were fumbles, but she made him proud. "He's hungry." She announced, breaking him out of his silent thoughts as she settled down on the bed next to him again.

He watched her settle herself against the headboard and adjust Tai in her arms before slipping the strap of her shift from her shoulder and baring her breast to the squirming child. He'd watched her do it countless times, but he still found himself completely enraptured by the whole thing. It was during those times when he felt most overwhelmed by the fact that he was a father now and that this woman beside him had carried his child, _their _child, inside of her for nine months and struggled for a full day, almost to the death, to bring him into the world. They had made him together and that was amazing to him.

He rearranged himself to sit next to her against the headboard, his body pressed next to hers so he could watch his son. "He's getting big."

"He is," she agreed before a wince tore across her face. "and he's strong."

"It still hurts?" He asked her, his ears drooping at the thought.

"Sometimes. I think I got used to it after a few days in the tent, but lately he has been getting stronger and he can pull a little too hard at times."

"He is a hanyou." He told her, but put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her closer to his side, hoping to distract her from any discomfort Tai could inflict. "Sesshomaru is coming to court."

"He is? What for?" She asked him curiously. "It's not like him to come for a courtesy visit."

"Not sure. Says he needs to talk to me in person. Must be important for him to come all the way out here." He told her.

"Guess so. It's strange that he'd choose to come here instead of summoning you to him."

"Oi, he can't summon me! Not anymore! I'm the king here, not some simpering servant he can order around." He told her moodily.

"Come on now, don't be so sensitive," she teased with a smile before leaning over to kiss the pout off his face. "Of course you're the king. But he's Sesshomaru and you know how he can be."

"Whatever woman." He relented, preferring to kiss his way down her neck over arguing about his brother.

"Inuyasha, stop it. The baby." She chastised, but didn't move to distance herself from his wandering mouth.

"Isn't he done?" He whined, scraping her skin with his fangs. "He's had enough," he told her, moving away enough to look her in the eyes, his own gaze heated, "I haven't."

He liked the pretty flush that crept onto her face as she shook her head lightly at his antics. As if on command, Tai released her breast, deciding he had in fact, had enough. They may have moved on to other activities once he was burped and cuddled back to sleepiness, but a knock on the door disturbed their peace just as the sleepy baby was put back in his crib. "Damn it," he cursed softly, his face morose. It seems they'd have to wait. "Come in!" He barked irritably.

The same blond woman from the night before, Rena, stepped into the room and curtsied low. "I'm sorry to disturb your majesties," she said formally, "but your audiences begin in an hours time, my lady."

"Very well, Rena. Please bring the rest of the ladies to help me get ready." Kagome told her gently. "I will need Aiya to help with my hair today."

"Of course, my lady," Rena replied and quickly left the room with another curtsy.

"I should get going anyways." Inuyasha told her as he came to stand in front of her. "Kingdom isn't going to run itself." He said, looping his arms around her shoulders to bring her against him. "I'll see you tonight."

"Tonight." She repeated before his mouth descended on hers for another new kiss.

The day Sesshomaru arrived at court was one of the hottest days Inuyasha could remember. The sun beat down on the marble of the palace's public courtyard and the flimsy fabric of the overhead screen did little to cool them off. A raised dais had been dressed finely in white and gold fabrics to shield them from the sun and stationed all around them were attendants with large, feathered fans to try and force away the heat to no avail.

Kagome sat to his right, dressed in grand opalescent robes, a glimmering golden hair ornament standing in the place of a crown on her raven tresses. Her hair was pulled back and he could see the perspiration beading on the smooth column of her neck. They had been out here for only a few minutes and already he could tell she was uncomfortable. Not for the first time, he cursed his damn brother for his timing and reminded himself to find out who had decided on an outdoor official greeting.

"Good thing we didn't bring Tai." Kagome told him then, turning to give him a weary smile. "I don't think he much likes the hot weather."

"Neither do I." Inuyasha huffed. He was careful to keep his voice down so only she could hear him, knowing the impassive words that itched on his tongue were not fit for a king. "This is stupid."

Kagome smiled at him and reached for his hand silently. He felt the soft fabric of her robes slide against his arm as her fingers laced through his and wondered how she could be so composed when she was certainly hotter than even he was. His clothes were fine, made of lightweight summer material brought in from the coast, but lacked the multitude of layers, knots, and intricacies of hers. He grasped her hand in his own and looked away from her and over the excited crowd that had gathered to watch him receive his brother.

Court nobles made of the majority of the space to his left. They crowded along the upper balconies that looked into the courtyard and enjoyed the relative comfort of shade from the many maple trees that lined the manicured flowerbeds. The rest of the available space was filled with townspeople. The richer dressed in their finest clothing to come watch while the poor came in their tatters, eager to be inside the palace's great walls. Several hundred were crammed into the courtyard and, for a moment, Inuyasha felt cool in comparison.

Finally, just before he felt his limited patience evaporate in the unbearable heat, the horns sounded and a booming voice announced his brother's arrival. "His Majesty, King Sessomaru, Lord of the Western Lands, Lord Protector of the Middle Plains, and Prince of Simera enters the hall!" Sessomaru swept in through the main gate, flanked by guards in gleaming silver armor, and approached the dais directly.

The Western Lord's face was as impassive as usual, always seeming bored no matter how much excitement surrounded him. "Brother," he said dryly.

"Brother," Inuyasha echoed, not surprised in the least that his brother refused to bow or otherwise defer. "welcome." He continued. "You honor me with your visit." He forced out, knowing the words were expected. They had roles to play after all.

"The honor is mine," Sessomaru replied. "I thank you for your hospitality."

The expected conversation continued for several long minutes as formalities were exchanged and gifts presented. It was customary for visitors to bring gifts to their hosts. They were refused three times before being accepted and reciprocated. It was a tedious process and it felt like an eternity before all of the necessary pleasantries were through and Inuyasha could stand and motion for his wife and brother to join him in an adjoining reception room. Tonight, they would dine in private, but all of the spectators would also enjoy a feast in the courtyard. Everyone's bellies would be full before the night was up and the celebration would surely last into the morning.

Finally stepping off of the dais, Inuyasha led Kagome into a cool antechamber and yelled for water to be brought. He was fucking hot and he could tell from the heated flush on Kagome's face that she was desperate to cool off. Knowing only his brother would be joining them tonight, he yanked off his outer shirt and threw it against the wall, letting the ties to his inner shirt hang open as he revelled in the cool air. "Do you want to change?" he asked his wife, feeling hot again just looking at her dressed in those robes. "You must be hot in those. It's just my brother, you can change into something less formal if you want. We'll wait."

"Yes, I think I will. I don't think I can stand these for another minute. I'll be back shortly." She smiled at him and nodded at Sessomaru before quickly exiting the room with two of her ladies trailing behind her.

The brothers were silent, regarding each other with their usual mix of exasperation and annoyance. Inuyasha didn't hate his brother; Sessomaru had done more for him than he could really articulate. His brother had found him after years of living alone, wandering through the world with nothing but his own two hands to depend on. Sessomaru had restored him to his place as a prince and hadn't denied him his rightful inheritance once he had met the conditions established by his father. Sessomaru was fair and Inuyasha knew that whatever he had come to say was important.

"How is your boy?" The elder brother asked casually. "I did not see him at the reception."

"He's well." Inuyasha responded. "He's growing and happy; he wasn't out there today because the heat makes him cranky."

"Hn."

"Why are you here?" The hanyou asked bluntly. "It must be important for you to come in person."

"It is." The older demon paused briefly as Kagome reentered the room in a much lighter version of her earlier dress. "I'm here because I have reason to believe there are spies among us."

"What do you mean?" Kagome asked.

"I mean that recent information has come to me about growing unrest on our northeastern border. The Hissians are up to something. They've abandoned multiple settlements and whole villages worth of people are disappearing overnight. It isn't normal." He told them sternly. "A few of my men engaged a small band of Hissian soldiers near the river crossing. We captured two and they've been thoroughly interrogated. It seems the Hissians have a new leader, a king of sorts, but we have yet to know more. Still, it seems he is interested in something you have, little brother, and he is keen to get inside these walls to take it."

"Something of mine?"

"It appears so. They were difficult to break, those two, but what one said in the throes is particularly worrisome. 'The key is already in place. They key is in the lock.' he said. I don't know what it means but both of them referred to some sort of key before sucumbing. I will continue to find out what I can, but you should be wary. Make sure you trust all those within your walls and quickly dispatch those you are suspicious of. Ready your army, brother, for I sense this is only the beginning of our troubles."


	8. Author's Note

Hello dear readers!

I am really sorry to have been absent for so long. I've received a lot of love for this story and I feel terribly about taking so long to finally get back to you guys. I'm sorry to have to come out and give you this news, but I feel like you all deserve to hear it.

It has been quite a while since I have transitioned out of the Inuyasha fandom. I'm sad to report that this story probably will not be finished. It was originally intended to be a long work, with 22 planned chapters that would add up to more than a hundred thousand words. It was a huge project that I simply don't have the inspiration to tackle anymore.

I deeply appreciate all of the love, feedback, and support I've received for this story and I want you to know that your words have really touched me. I apologize for making you wait and for leaving this unfinished, but you all deserve a story that satisfies you and I don't feel like I can do this with this particular story anymore. It's possible that I might try and condense some of what I had planned into one long one-shot, just to not leave you all hanging, but I have no idea if that will actually pan out. Feel free to contact me if you want to talk about the story or anything really.

Thank you again for all you have done for me.

With love,

VFE


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